


Warmth of Winter

by Krisdaughter_of_Athena



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe-Spirits, Any relation to actual folklore or religious belief is on accident, Based on a song, Character Death, Dogs, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Character Death, Mutual Pining, Victor is a winter/snow spirit, eventual Yuuri/Victor, time skip (few years worth)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9644831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krisdaughter_of_Athena/pseuds/Krisdaughter_of_Athena
Summary: His body created by the snow, and first breath given by the wind, Victor has spent almost his entire lifetime on the mountain. When he risks the chance to descend from the top, his life takes a turn that he will never forget.





	1. First Snow

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the song Glaciers, which is composed by Scott Director
> 
> (sorry about the summary...it's a work in progress)

The first snowfall of the year beholds dark skies. On the white mountaintops, the snowflakes fall with soft brushes from the wind. However, brushes turn into forceful pushes as the gnarled hands of the Old Wind gather the snowflakes.

His feet touch down before he kneels on the mountaintop, and the wind near ceases. His gaze reaches upwards, in a silent prayer to the Elders. When he finishes, he closes his eyes and lets the sudden frost consume his fingers, before opening his eyes to return to his work. 

The frost connects the small clumps of snow, forming a small, humanoid shape. The Old Wind brushes his fingertips over the frost covering where the face would be. At his touch, the frost cracks and falls away from the pale skin beneath. Snow hugs the form to create white robes and the figure’s hair spread around their head like platinum rays of light. The Old Wind’s held breath wisps away in his relief, before pressing his fingers against their still eyelids. 

After a pause in which he pulls away, the brow furrows, before their eyes open. Bright sapphire meets the Old Wind’s dark brown before he gives the newly born spirit a warm smile. 

“Where...where am I?” The spirit’s voice is lilted in a way similar to his, even amidst his confusion. “Who are you?”

The Old Wind slowly stands, letting his form ache as little as possible before holding out his hand. In response, the spirit immediately sits up and reaches to take his hand. With surprising strength, the Old Wind pulls them to their feet, and holds their hand tight. 

“To many, I am known as the eldest of the spirits of the Wind, those who dance above you and bring the breeze that touches us now. To all, I am known as the Old Wind, messenger and counselor to the Elders, the ones who plan our destinies far before our creations. My name, however, is simply Anton, and by the command of the Elders, I have formed your being here, on this mountain.”

“Anton...you created me?”

Anton gives a light, warm smile. “And your name?”

“Mine?” Their grip tightens as they avert their gaze. “I don’t know.”

“Think long and hard. Your name is inside you, simply waiting to come out.”

The spirit nods, keeping their gaze low. Anton waits, until the spirit squeezes his hand and lets go.

“Have you decided?”

The spirit nods, though still speaks with hesitance.

“Victor.”

Anton nods. “Victor...what a wonderful name.”

The wind picks up and Anton looks to it. After a pause, he nods and returns to Victor.

“I must go. I am called back. As a spirit of winter, you preside on this mountain, and the two of you are connected in breath now. Take good care. I will send another spirit your way to guide you. For now, explore, and if you need anything, simply to the skies, and I will come.”

Victor nods, a mirthful smile appearing with his eyes agleam. The Old Wind takes to the skies, and for a while, he can see Victor follow him on foot, hair flying back in the wind, and his joyful cry following after the older spirit as he leaves the mountain behind.


	2. Adventures in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor has questions about the gaze that he feels on him. And what does it have to do with the forest...? No one will tell him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thank you to all who left a kudos! I am so happy and positively overwhelmed by the feedback I've gotten through the kudos! So for you guys, I made an extra long chapter! 
> 
> Thank you again! Your feedback means so much!)

“Vitya! Get back here!”

 

The cantankerous voice calls after him, but he pretends not to hear it over his bubbling laughter.

 

“VICTOR!”   
  


At his actual name, though, he stops, just in front of the edge of the cliff. He sticks his head over the edge, and his gaze follows the rocks bouncing down into the fog below. 

The Storm’s brewing behind him, and his watcher pants. “Now...come back Vi_”

 

It’s a pure flash of decision. Victor runs and flings himself over the edge. The scream comes naturally, and the fog slips past him as he nears the ground. He closes his eyes, if only for a moment, and when he opens them again, he can see the pile of snow on the ground rapidly approaching before he crashes into it. 

 

It’s a force that takes his breath in a violent gasp, but when he stills, he finds himself staring up to the sky. After a long pause, he pops up into a sitting position, grinning from ear to ear. His laughter slowly escapes as he realizes that he is alright, and that he _ finally _ felt like he had been flying, and it’s the closest he’s ever gotten. 

 

His laughter begins to fade, and he finally comes to a stop as he feels a gaze on him. His head snaps to the side to try and catch a view of the gaze, only to see the darkness among the trees of the forest….

 

A rough grip grabs his arm and pulls him to his feet. 

 

“What were you thinking, Vitya?”As soon as he’s on his feet, the old storm spirit lets go of Victor’s arm, who takes to brushing off his dark blue robes. Perhaps he’s not as old as he looks, Victor thinks as he idly brushes some snow out of his hair.  And it’s true; his hair seemed much grayer and the top of his head balder than before the Old Wind had assigned Yakov to Victor. 

 

“Are you even listening to me?” Victor snaps back to reality, but Yakov doesn’t wait for an answer.  “What were you thinking?! You could have been seriously hurt in the fall!”

 

“But I wasn’t.” Victor points out, only for Yakov to glare at him. 

 

“Not funny, Victor.” There he goes; he only calls the winter spirit by his actual name when he’s upset. “The Old Wind put you under my care for a reason, and let the Elders forbid anything happen to you under my watch. I won’t even  _ mention  _ what would have happened if you ended up in the forest….the Old Wind would have my head if we never found you in one piece.”

 

He feels the gaze again, this time between his shoulder blades as Yakov grabs his arm. He stops and looks back, only to see the same thing as before. A sliver of a frown etches onto his face as Yakov pulls him along. 

* * *

Yuri’s arms cross over his chest with that ever permanent scowl stuck on his face. He seems to always have a grudge about something Victor believes is insignificant, which is only made obvious by the flames that  stray away from his body at varying levels of light and heat. Today, or for now at least, dull but still warm flames have created a dry circle around him and the flames lightly touch the bottom of his legs (and Victor acts as if he doesn’t feel warmer than usual).

 

“You found him, old man?”

 

Yakov nods tightly, letting go of Victor’s arm. Yuri scoffs and Victor swears he can hear him mutter under his breath. “ _ Stupid _ .” 

 

Yakov doesn’t immediately chew into him again, and he’s thankful for it as he stumbles towards one of the caves in the side of the mountain that he had claimed as his own. 

 

“Don’t do that again.” Yakov says, having caught his arm again, gentler this time. When Victor doesn’t reply, Yakov turns him around and he avoids looking to the storm spirit. 

 

“I mean it.” His voice is softer this time. “You may have been lucky this time, but there’s no guarantee you’d survive that height, or being that far from your mountain again.”

 

“It wasn’t even that far.” Victor mutters. “Why do I have to stay here anyway?”

 

“Vitya…” the squeeze is more comforting now. “The Elders have a reason for placing you here...we just don’t have an understanding of what that reason is yet.”

 

Victor doesn’t look to Yakov, let alone speak. 

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“...Fine.” He responds finally. “Just tired.”

 

Yakov sighs, muttering: “That’ll be the distance.” Then he clears his throat, and continues. “Just go get some rest then.”

 

When Victor finally nods after a long pause, Yakov releases his arm, and slowly returns to the Yuri. Victor watches for a long moment, before retreating into his shelter.

* * *

The moon has risen when he peeks out again. With a quick glance around to not find either the storm or fire spirit, he sprints out, feet lightly pattering against the snow and rocks.

 

When he reaches the cliff edge, he pauses, once again watching the fog below him. He takes a deep breath, but it catches in his chest. Out of an instinctive response, he steps back. The wind pushes his hair to pass his face, and he takes another step back before turning his back altogether.  _ It’s fine _ , he tells himself, _ I’ll take the long way down… _

 

His steps down are calculated and precise, eyes down to follow the path he creates. Finally, he jumps down into the snow. He slowly raises from his crouched landing, eyes scanning the dark among the trees.

 

Nothing. 

 

His frown is returning and with a furtive glance around, he takes a step forward. When no one runs at him from the trees, or no storm spirits swoop down at him from above, he continues forward. 

 

He’s at the edge of the trees when he pauses to glance back, to see if someone is watching or following. When he sees no such things, he runs in, not stopping until he glances back and can no longer see the entrance of the trees. 

 

A sliver of the moon can barely be seen through the canopy of trees, so the light is faint. His gaze roves over the still trees as his frown deepens. Yakov had always said dangerous creatures_feral animals and spirits that had taken a dark turn_lurked in the forests at the bottom of the mountain...and yet it is so quiet and empty. 

 

_ Maybe I’m being watched _ . The thought, even with how paranoid it sounds, is clear and sudden enough that he stops mid-step. He listens hard, eyes searching, and he tenses when he registers the heavy breathing. 

 

“Who’s there?” His call echoes among the trees with no reply, but when his voice fades, he notices the breathing has stopped. His frown doesn’t flicker away, but he forces his shoulders and back to relax as he walks (see: runs) out of that area of the forest. 

 

He slows, though as the trees clear and more light begins to filter through. He pauses just at the last trees, watching the dark water of the pond glitter in the moonlight. His frown is replaced with a large gape. He’s never seen anything like the still water...it’s so beautiful. 

 

He settles next to water, simply staring at the reflection of the moon. He wishes to reach forward, to see his finger touch the water, but withdraws his hand at the last moment, not wishing to disturb the picture. Instead, when he is done watching the water, he falls back into the snow and takes advantage of the clearing to watch the real image of the moon. Even from the mountain, the moon never seemed this bright, and the stars never so clear. A soft, contented smile starts on his face, his arms resting behind his head. The forest is more peaceful than he ever imagined, more peaceful than his mountain with the cantankerous Yakov and fuming Yuri who always makes him and his mountain too warm. 

 

_ Maybe _ , he dares to think it.  _ Maybe Yakov was wrong…. _

 

. . .

. .

.

_ Snap _ !

 

His eyes fly open with a gasp and he turns immediately to the sound. The other spirit yelps in fright, but freezes in place, the sleeves of their robes covering their face. Both are breathing heavily, and Victor slowly stands, before placing a hand to his chest and closing his eyes. When he opens them again with a steady breath, he’s surprised to see the spirit still standing there hiding their face, but now visibly trembling. 

 

“Hey…” Victor’s steps are soft and cautious, but soon he’s close enough to reach out and touch the other spirit. “Are you alright?”

 

The mere touch seems to break the spirit from his trance. He jolts up, dropping his arms, and Victor finds himself staring into russet eyes and flushed cheeks, night-colored hair falling in his face. But the moment disappears in a flash as the spirit turns and sprints back into the trees. 

 

“Hey! Wait!” Victor finds himself chasing after the other spirit, ignoring the sudden pickup of the wind that fights him. He can still see the dark robes of the other spirit as he weaves in between the trees. Victor follows on the opposite pattern; when they are finally close enough, he lunges across as the spirit pushes off the ground. 

 

The spirit cries out in fright as Victor’s weight from latching onto his arm crashes them both into the snow. Victor finds himself out of breath once again, laying against the snow with his hand still grabbing onto the other spirit. However, he quickly hears the spirit gasp again, and his hand slips out of Victor’s grip. Victor sits up quick enough to see the spirit merely pull himself close, covering his face again. 

 

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have been staring, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!”

 

Victor merely stares at the spirit, who is blushing furiously and seemingly shrinking. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I-I’ve been watching you and I was curious what you were doing and I shouldn’t have been…”

 

“Hey.” The other spirit flinches when Victor takes his hands, but doesn’t pull away. “I’m not upset. I just wanted to meet you.”

 

The other spirit seems struck dumb; he can’t look at anything but his and Victor’s hands.

 

“Okay...let’s start with names. I’m Victor!”

 

The spirit finally steals a glance up at Victor, whose grin fades at the sight of the fearful stare. 

 

“I’m really not upset. It’s good to get to know someone other than Yakov, Yuri, and Anton.”

 

“...Anton?”

 

“Oh! The Old Wind!”

 

The reaction is not one he expects; the spirit pulls his hands away with a gasp. 

 

“You know the Old Wind? You’re a wind spirit, too? Oh, please don’t report me to him! I can’t afford to be in trouble, let alone with the Old Wind_!”

 

“Wait a second!” The spirit stops, head between hands, but now looking to Victor again. “I-I’m not a wind spirit!”

 

“...What?” His eyes are wide. “How do you know the Old Wind, then?”

 

“He created me! I’m actually a winter spirit from there!” He points to the mountain. The spirit follows his finger, but quickly returns to Victor with wide eyes. 

 

“I’m not going to report you, I promise….but why would you be in trouble?”

 

He looks down to his hands. “...I’m not supposed to be here.”

 

“Really? Me either!”

 

The spirit looks back up to Victor, but instead of fear, perhaps amusement shines in his eyes. 

 

“You’re the first spirit I’ve met outside of the other three, and by myself, too…” He takes a deep breath. “So, let’s try this again.”

 

He sticks his hand back out, and this time the other spirit actually looks at it.

 

“My name is Victor! What’s yours?”

 

The question passes with a long pause and Victor’s smile begins to fade again...until the spirit takes his hand. 

 

“Yuuri.”

 

“Yuuri…” Victor tries the name. Just like the fire spirit, but...softer; longer. “I like it. Nice to meet you, Yuuri.”

  
Finally,  _ finally _ , a small grin flickers onto Yuuri’s face. “Nice to meet you, Victor.” 


	3. Nightlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri begin a routine of visits, and we learn about Yuuri's life and what life is to a spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting you know, this a more Yuuri-centered chapter!

 

The bright sunlight breaks through the clouds and Victor groans as it pries him awake. He turns his head and opens his eyes to the stone back of the cave, which is easier on his eyes. He yawns and rests his back against the wall as he sits up. 

 

“ _ Are you up yet!?” _

 

Yuri has planted himself in the doorway, arms crossed and fire drifting out from his shoulders. Victor merely blinks blankly in response and Yuri groans. 

 

“Get up!” Yuri rushes forward, but Victor is already slowly standing, so he slows to a stop. “Yakov says you’ve slept most of the day away; now get up!”

 

When Victor doesn’t retort, or even respond at all, Yuri growls, the flames brightening and then dimming again, before turning on his heel and stalking out. Victor simply watches him go, before looking down to his feet. 

 

It feels more like a dream, than simply the night before now that day has arrived. 

 

_ Yurri seems to realize how close it was to sunrise and turned to Victor. “I-I need to go. Minako won’t be happy if she doesn’t find me ready at sunrise.” _

 

_ He stands quickly, dusting the snow off his robes. Victor joins him, and they walk, shoulders brushing, to the edge of the forest. Finally, they stop, and Victor blurts without a single thought: _

 

_ “Can I see you again?” _

 

_ When Yuuri’s wide gaze snaps to him, he immediately regrets speaking at all; and yet, he rambles on.  _

 

_ “I figured we’re friends now, and I enjoy hanging out with you...I mean, only if you want to.” _

 

_ When the wind spirit doesn’t respond, Victor wonders when the spirit would take off. He waits, and feels the tip of his ears begin to warm rather uncomfortably. _

 

_ “T-Tomorrow night?’ _

 

_ “Huh?” He blinks, and Yuuri is still there, wringing his hands. When it finally clicks, Victor smiles softly, beginning to beam, and takes Yuuri’s hand and squeezes it.  Yuuri stiffens, but then relaxes after a breath passed. “I look forward to it.” _

 

_ Yuuri grins, a blush dusting his cheeks, but he nods. “Alright. Tomorrow night then.” _

 

_ Victor releases his hand, and Yuuri looks him in the eye for a moment, before turning and taking off. He presses off the ground and rises through the dimming stars, and when Victor blinks, he’s gone.  _

 

Victor feels himself smiling again as he exits the cave, and decides to sit among the rocks, watching the two other spirits go about a rehearsed schedule. When he’s certain they aren’t looking at him, he steals glances to the sky, to check the sun’s position. Time seems to crawl as the sun rises, pauses, and then begins to set again. 

 

“We’re leaving for the day, Victor.” VIctor blinks, and looks to Yakov and Yuri’s retreating backs. “See you in the morning.”

 

“Yeah...see you.”

 

He says nothing more, waiting for the two to finally disappear into the skyline. Then, he slips from his spot on the rock. It may be only sunset, but he’s been waiting for  _ eternity  _ now. 

 

Still, with the time it takes for him to navigate his way down, the sky is beginning to darken when he finally reaches the bottom. He looks to the trees, and he beams at the sight of the other spirit waiting for him. 

 

“I thought I was going to be early.” He’s fully grinning, though, as he rushes to Yuuri’s side. 

 

Yuuri blushes, seeming apologetic. “Would it be bad to say I was excited to see you again?”

 

Victor, blinks, a blush starting that he quickly compliments when his grin returns. “Not at all! It’s the truth, after all.” 

 

“Good.” Yuuri’s shoulders relax at that, a small smile sliding onto his face.

 

A moment passes in silence and Victor bounces on his toes. Though the nervous moment had passed, Yuuri’s smile is fading again, and his cheeks grow more and more scarlet, spreading to his ears. He is looking back to the snow, beginning to wring his hands again.

 

_ Is he alright? _

 

Victor opens his mouth to ask, but after some thought, closes it again. He can handle this a better way, surely. 

 

Yuuri jumps at the rougher touch from his friend and looks up just in time to see Victor tear off. “You’re it!”

 

“Hey wait!” Victor glances back to see Yuuri is quickly taking chase, and his giggles bubble as he returns his attention forward and weaves in between the trees. Yuuri sets his jaw in a way that suggests nothing more than a determination that if Victor had glanced back, he would have wondered to himself about just who Yuuri was. 

 

But he hadn’t, and he is currently fighting the new onslaught of wind, and his hair flies behind him, unrestrained. Yuuri’s gaze can’t help but follow after the silver through the trees. Even in the dark, it seems to glow in an unnatural matter. 

 

Victor reaches the clearing, and Yuuri finds himself hot on his heels, and just an arm’s reach away….

 

“Gotcha!”

 

Victor stumbles forward at the push. In a graceless manner that is completely unlike the winter spirit, he trips over his own feet, but is fortunate enough to have the slight cushion of the snow. 

 

Yuuri gasps and kneels next to Victor, who hasn’t moved since he fell. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t think I had pushed you that hard! I didn’t mean to!”

 

“Oh Yuurrriiii~” Victor turns onto his back to face him, hand over his chest. “You’ve wounded me!” With an extremely exaggerated gesture (even for Victor), he reaches up with his other hand to the sky, and fakes a strangled gasp. “I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.” And with that, he plops back against the snow as if he had given his last breath. 

 

Yuuri giggles, and Victor opens his eyes at the pleasurable sound. When they meet gaze, Yuuri’s grin doesn’t fade, and in result, Victor matches his expression with a chuckle before sitting up. 

 

“Feeling better?” The question is bright, but still lacks laughter and replaces it with sincerity. Though Yuuri’s cheeks are still red, they’re rosier and his eyes full of mirth as he nods.

 

“Good.” Victor grins, before looking up as the first star appears in the sky. Yuuri follows his gaze.

 

“Phichit must be ready now.”

 

“Phichit?” Victor pulls his gaze from the sky, and Yuuri meets it. “Who’s that?”

 

“A friend of mine. He and a couple other are night sky spirits; each night they dance along the sky and place the stars.”

 

“Does someone put up the moon?”

 

Yuuri nods. “The eldest does, and that is currently Shashi.”

 

“Currently?”

 

Yuuri sighs, looking to the snow. “Spirits...we aren’t immortal, as much as we wish to be. We can live for as long as the Elders allow us. Then…” he sighs. “There will come a time when we will...go. For Shashi, I hope it isn’t soon. We recently lost the former bearer of the moon; plus, she is kind to me, and every spirit she meets.”

 

“Oh…” Victor looks away from Yuuri, when a tinge of sadness sets, and instead turns to the reflection of the pond. 

 

“Victor.” Yuuri’s voice tickles his ear. “ _ Look. _ ”

 

He follows Yuuri’s pointing finger to the dark sky. He can see the sparkling cloak of one of the spirits, who leaps across the sky, stars dropping from their fingertips. Two follow, in sync as they set a pathway among the stars.

 

“Here she comes.”

 

Shashi must be the one in the white robes, Victor muses, watching the figure as they trail behind the night dancers. In her hands, something glows softly, and she carries it as if it's the world’s treasure. The dancers stop in front of her, and she passes them to where the trail of stars seems to end. Her head bows to the glowing orb, and she brings her hands close to her face. With a breath that is audible from Victor and Yuuri’s distance, the orb flies out of her hands, and within moments, the previous darkness is consumed by the orbs light, and the moon appears in front of the entire world for it to be seen. Shashi watches the moon for a long moment, before turning and returning the way she came.

 

“Wow…” Victor finally looks to Yuuri, pausing as he realizes how close the two are. He can see the gleam in Yuuri’s eyes from staring at the moonlight, before he looks to Victor. He blinks, and continues. “D-do you see that every night?”

 

Yuuri seems to notice the distance between them, and pulls away, looking down to his hands against the snow. “Most nights. I know what to look for. It’s always beautiful to watch.”

 

_ Everything about this moment is beautiful.  _ Victor catches himself thinking.  _ Especially you, Yuuri. _

 

He flashes a small smile, and in confusion berating himself for the thought. He averts his gaze to the pond again, watching the reflection of the moon in the water. 

 

“Do you ever want to touch it?”

 

“What?” He looks to Victor and realizes. “Oh, yeah.” He reaches out and ripples flow from his fingertip that touches the water. Victor gapes at the sight, and Yuuri glances to him. 

 

“You've never tried it?”

 

“Well...no…”

 

He nods. “Try it, then.”

 

Victor glances to him again, before reaching out over the water. His hand shakes slightly as he slowly lowers it closer. As soon as his fingertip touches the water, it freezes and he gasps as the ice consumes the entire lake until you can no longer see the moon’s image.

 

Victor quickly pulls his hand away, and sits back. “I'm sorry. I didn't know it would do that….”

 

“It's okay, Victor.” Yuuri sets a hand on his shoulder and grows closer and Victor notices his heart racing. “Neither of us knew that would happen.”

 

Yuuri pulls his hand away and pushes against the ice, which remains sturdy under the weight. 

 

“It's stable, at least.”

 

Victor nods, before standing and passing Yuuri. When his foot touches the ice, frost covers the top with a slight crackle. Another step makes the ice firm enough to hold his weight. One step more, and he turns back to Yuuri with a grin. “Come on! It's safe to stand on!”

 

Yuuri hesitates, as he would expect for the spirit who thinks so much, before standing onto the ice, shifting his weight slightly. When he’s certain he’s safe, he continues forward, only to slip and fall just steps from Victor.

 

“Yuuri!” He hurries to Yuuri, only to nearly fall himself. His arms go out and flailing to keep balance and he hears Yuuri’s laughter again as he balances out. Yuuri is sitting up, and when the two meet gaze, Yuuri reaches out. Instantly, Victor takes his hand, slowly pulling him to his feet. There they stand, and Yuuri finds the courage to look into Victor’s gaze.

 

Blue.

 

_ Were his eyes always so blue?  _

 

He mustn't think about that, he decides, so he looks down only to finally notice something else.

 

“...How are your feet not cold?”

 

“What?” Victor blinks, then looks down to his bare feet. They look fine to him.

 

“You’re barefoot. I'm wearing shoes and my feet are cold.”

 

Victor checks, and sure enough, Yuuri is wearing dark shoes that contrast against his bare feet on the snow. Then, he registers something else.

 

“You're cold?”

 

“What?”

 

“You said you're cold.”

 

“Oh…” His blush is returning. “Just a little. I'll be fine.”

 

“I don't want you to get too cold, though. I wouldn't be able to see you tomorrow night.”

 

“No, it's fine. I'll be okay…”

 

Victor stops him, his gaze firmly pericing, but his voice remains gentle.

 

“Go and rest. Besides, the sun will be rising soon.”

 

Yuuri looks to the sky to where he sees that slowly, the night sky spirits are picking up the stars, and the moon’s orb was beginning to dim. Then, Shashi would return to retrieve it and day would begin. 

 

“I'll see you tomorrow?” Yuuri’s gaze returns in surprise when Victor takes his hand, still searching for his look to be returned.

 

After a pause in which Yuuri realizes he’s supposed to respond, he quickly nods, and Victor smiles softly. He squeezes Yuuri’s hand before letting go. “Then I'll see you tomorrow.”

 

Yuuri nods, unable to keep the smile off his face as he takes off to the skies. He glances back to see Victor still watching him go, before returning his gaze to enter through the clouds.

 

The day spirits are beginning to wake, retreating from corners of rest. Yuuri glances around, before merging into the crowd, unnoticed. So far, so good; nobody would notice he had been gone all night.  

 

He bows his head in thought as he walks along, guided by routine. He wonders if he would see Victor today, while he was in control of the wind. Maybe he could find a reason to pass over his mountain….

 

“Yuuri!”

 

He stops, turning to the source of the call to see Phichit wave to him, robes hanging loosely near his arms. 

 

“Hi.” He closes the distance between them quickly, meeting Phichit’s beam with a somber smile. “Did you just get back?”

 

“Yeah! You should come inside.”

 

He looks up to the large building. The walls are dark, and the windows are dim where all the night sky spirits are supposedly resting. 

 

“Um….I don't think that's a good idea…”

 

“It's a great idea!” Phichit grabs his arm before he can protest anymore and drags him through the doors. As the door softly closes behind them, Phichit hooks arms with Yuuri before pulling him along. 

 

“So….” Yuuri finally starts, looking away from the soft-colored walls to his friend. “I know we haven't gotten to talk lately...how are you?”

 

“I'm great!” Any furtive expression is replaced with Phichit’s signature grin. “I got moved up!”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, I'm one of the senior workers. And soon, Shashi said she wants to move me to her escort, meaning I'll be helping her lead!”

 

“That's...that's amazing, Phichit!” Yuuri’s eyes widen at the news, but he is grinning still.

 

“But that's not why I dragged you in here.” The smile has disappeared and voice drops to a near-whisper.

 

“Then what for?”

 

Phichit opens his mouth to reply when the door next to them opens. They both stop and look to the woman in dark robes and a headdress that covers her hair but does not obstruct her view. 

 

Phichit slips his arm out of Yuuri’s with a slight gasp, before bowing. “Shashi, miss…”

 

She waves him off and he stands again, but keeps his gaze down. “I...I can explain why Yuuri is here…”

 

“There's no need.” Her voice remains level and her silver toned eyes rest on the wind spirit. “It is a good thing he’s here, isn't it?”

 

Yuuri doesn't know whether to respond or not, and it seems that Phichit isn't sure himself. Finally, she gestures to them both. “Come inside.”

 

They exchange a glance before following through. She closes the door before turning to them, and gesturing to the loveseat. “Take a seat.”

 

Both obey without a word, and Yuuri finds his gaze wandering all over the room. The walls are a soft cream color, with intricate designs of bronze and pearl hues. A place for her to rest sat in the corner, while a chair and a loveseat sit across each other, with a low table in the middle. Phichit elbows him, and he returns to the moment as Shashi sits in the chair. 

 

“I’m sure Phichit brought you here for the same reason I asked to see you, Yuuri.”

 

He blinks, glancing to Phichit. “I’m not sure I understand...miss.” He adds the last part hastily, remembering who he is addressing. 

 

She sighs and relaxes into the seat, resting her elbows on the arms of the chair as she laces her fingers in front of her. “We saw you, Yuuri. This past night you were in the forest, the one with the pond. Am I correct to assume that was you from my distance?”

 

His eyes widen as he searches for a lie, before stopping himself. She would already know if he lied to her, and there’s no point in denying it. He lowers his gaze and nods. “Yes, miss. That was me.”

 

Neither two say a word, letting a long silence pass. Yuuri steals a glance around to see Shashi lost in thought, while Phichit watches her.

 

“Am I…” Both look to him at his question, and he feels the omnious feeling in his chest grow heavier, making it hard to breathe. “Am I in trouble?” 

 

She watches him for a long moment before standing. “That depends….Phichit, will you make sure we aren’t disturbed?”

 

He nods and goes to the door, locking it, before standing with his back to it. Shashi seems to pace in thought, finger at her chin. Finally, she turns to him. “You’re a good spirit, Yuuri, I know that. I would consider it unlike you to create trouble. I’ll ask some questions, and you must tell me the truth. I will know if you lie. Understand?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She nods, returning next to her chair. “How long have you been going to the forest at night?”

 

“Two nights; no other time before that.”

 

She nods, satisfied with the answer, before posing a second. “Who is the other spirit that was with you?”

 

“His…” he hesitates; for some reason he  _ doesn't want  _ to tell her, but he knows he must. “He’s my friend. His name is Victor, a winter spirit from the mountain near the forest.”

 

“You're not lying, are you?” Phichit pipes up. “Winter spirits that live on mountains aren't supposed to go far from their homes.”

 

“He’s telling the truth.” Shashi replies before Yuuri can. “It seems this Victor is a little rebellious. How did you meet him?”

 

His cheeks feel warm, and he chuckles nervously. “A couple days ago, I had been taking care of the wind when someone  fell from the mountain. I backed away because the person was screaming and I immediately felt bad when I heard them hit the snow. I landed nearby in the forest, to see if they were alright, when Victor popped out of the snow. He was alright, and he was laughing, but he stopped when he realized he wasn't alone. I was afraid to show myself, but he turned to look into the forest and...and…” His cheeks are burning and the tips of his ears are growing warm.

 

“You couldn't look away.” Shashi finished for him, a smile lifting her tone. 

 

“Awwww~” Phichit calls, giggling when Yuuri turns a brighter shade of red.

 

“I couldn't stop thinking about him, and so that night I went for a walk, and I saw him enter the forest. I was curious, so I followed him. I wasn't careful...and he found me. He wasn't angry at me...he wanted to be my friend.”

 

“You like him, don't you?”

 

“N-not like that!” Yuuri turns to Phichit. Shashi chuckles at that, but otherwise doesn't say anything concerning the lie.

 

“Well, I see no reason why you should face punishment.” Yuuri and Phichit turn to her as she speaks. “You technically have done nothing wrong. You can be out at night, as long as you are not causing harm, and that is harmless. You may go.”

 

Yuuri nods and stands, bowing to Shashi before rushing to the door. He closes the door behind him, but moments, it opens again and Phichit follows him out. 

 

“You should introduce me to him someday.”

 

“Why, so you can tease me even more for liking him?”

 

“So you  _ do  _ like him?” Yuuri sputters in response and turns to him, but Phichit waves it off.

 

“No, not for that. You're still in denial anyway. I've just never met a winter spirit.”

 

“Oh.” Yuuri sighs, and Phichit casts a warm (perhaps sympathetic?) glance to him. 

 

“You better get going soon. Minako and the others will be looking for you.” 

 

Yuuri nods, opening the door to the entrance. He glances to Phichit, works a small smile, and nods his goodbyes before the door closes between them both. 

* * *

 

Working with wind, as with most things in the sky, with similar to that of a dance. Each step sequence commands a direction and he reaches out and the breeze goes. The intensity of the wind depends on the emotion in the dance. For today, the breeze is lazy as Yuuri’s steps are slow, his gaze far-away. He can’t see Victor from his view in the air.  _ Maybe someday _ , he thinks to himself,  _ he would _ .

 

As soon as the sun begins to set, he takes off, ignoring Minako’s calls after him as he disappears into the clouds. He reappears moments later and sees the trees, their snow covered leaves barely sticking out against the ground. Quickly, he lands, running to the trees.

 

“Yuuri!” 

 

He turns at his name and Victor hugs him from behind, causing the spirit to cry out in surprise. 

 

“Victor!” He recovers quickly enough, though. “I-It’s good to see you again!”

 

“I’ve been waiting all day for this!” He beams, before letting go of Yuuri and taking his arm. “You ready?”

 

He looks to Victor, his sapphire eyes shining, and he feels himself grin as well. Maybe he does like him, Yuuri realizes. He doesn’t know how to describe this warm feeling pooling within him, but it’s not like anything else. Closer, perhaps. The feeling of being around or even thinking of the winter spirit makes him grin and happiness blooms in his chest. 

 

But that doesn’t mean he has to say it out loud. Victor doesn’t have to know. No, let everything remain as it is, as the best it will probably ever be. 

  
“I have been, too. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I should probably explain the spirit portion of this, since I'm sure some of you have questions on why the spirits have many human qualities. 'Spirit' is the best term I can think of in description of this AU. They can't die easily, like Yuuri somewhat mentioned. They could live for thousands of years in this power, and a lot of the power they are given and how long they live is usually decided by the Elders, a group of spirits who are actually immortal as they were the first spirits on the earth. The Elders will send their messengers or leaders of certain factions (the Old Wind and Shashi are prime examples) to take charge of creating newer spirits.   
> On a similar note, most leaders either don't have official names, or they are not referred by them. The Old Wind is one of one or two who are constantly referred to by their titles, and that being because they are the oldest after the Elders.   
> Back to the original topic, the Elders can 'decide' to take a spirit back, or to basically have them die, to which they have no term of an afterlife, though some believe that the dead spirits wander the halls of the Elders as residents (though that has not been proven to be true and the Old Wind will not disclose any information concerning the Elders outside of what's allowed). It's very hard to kill a spirit, but sometimes they do die without the Elders having decided to take the spirit back (though credit is given to them anyways).   
> As for intentionally disobeying the Elders, that's almost unheard. Any stories that are heard are whispered behind closed doors with fearful looks. Anywho, that's the main gist of what I thought you guys would like to know. 
> 
> This chapter has a lot of new tricks in it for me, so if you see something you liked or something you think should change, don't be afraid to let me know! :)


	4. Slipping By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two friends grow closer and a bargain is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Not as much plot fulfilling content, but there is some fluff in there, and it's not a complete filler, so that's something!
> 
>  
> 
> Let me know what you think! )

“So, Shashi knows where you are?”

 

“Huh?” He looks away from the last streaks of sun  to Victor, thoughts dispersing in an instant. It's been a few days since he told Victor that they had been seen. He hadn't said much at the time, merely nodding in response before changing the subject.

 

Maybe he hadn't wanted to talk about it until now. Maybe he forgot. Who knows?

 

“Oh. Yeah...both she and Phichit apparently saw me with you while they were working.”

 

“You’re not in trouble, are you?” 

 

“What? Oh no!” He frantically tries wave off Victor’s furrowed brow and growing frown. “They wanted to talk to me, ask questions about how I had met you and such, but I’m not in trouble!”

 

“Oh. Good.” He relaxes, looking back up to the sky. “I had forgotten to ask sooner, but I didn’t want you to keep getting in trouble because of me…”

 

“Yeah.” But Yuuri isn’t fully listening. The sky is dark now, and tonight, Victor has his hair pulled out of his face, though some strands that have escaped from the hairdo stand out in the dark. It’s mesmerizing, watching a soft breeze (to which he will never admit as to whether he influenced it or not) pull gently on the hairs. Victor’s constant is background noise as Yuuri reaches out, taking the strand gently between his fingers. It’s softer than he had ever imagined….

 

“Yuuri?”

 

He starts, drops the hair and pulls away, face already flushing scarlet. Victor simply watches him grow redder and redder before speaking. 

 

“Is there something wrong with my hair?”

 

“No no! Everything’s fine!” He waves frantically as he continues. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry!”

 

“Oh.” He thinks for a long moment, before reaching up to his hair. “Well, you can just ask if you want to play with it.”

 

“ _ What _ ?” 

 

“Do you want to?” His hair has fallen out of the bun and tumbles down to his lower back. “I really don’t mind.”

 

For a long moment, Yuuri simply keeps his gaze down towards his knees, wondering what he should do. However, this problem is solved for him when Victor scoots in front of him, then leans back, pushing his hair so that it falls on Yuuri. 

 

“Go on.” 

 

Yuuri had withdrawn his hands, but when Victor looks up to him as he is basically laying in Yuuri’s lap, he shifts into a more comfortable seat on the ground. With a hesitance and slightly shaking hands, he reaches forward and loses his hands in the silver locks. He wishes not to hurt Victor, so his movements are gentle are slowing, fingering through both wild tangles and smooth parts. He feels Victor relax against his now crossed legs and he feels the grin pulling as he keeps his gaze on Victor’s now closed eyes. 

 

“This feels amazing…” Victor mutters, and Yuuri nearly stops before he realizes what his friend had said. “Do you do this often?”

 

“Hm?” He shakes his head. “No, I don’t have a lot of time...or friends.”

 

Victor opens his eyes to glance up to him. “Well you probably have more than I do.”

 

“Oh.”  _ Fair point. _ “But I feel like you would make friends quickly if you were given the chance. You’re friendly enough.”

 

“Hm.” Victor’s gaze flicks back up to the sky, and for a long moment, he doesn’t speak. 

 

“Maybe you could introduce me to your friends!”

 

Yuuri stops, and looks down to Victor, who beams up at him. 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Even as he asks, he knows it’s less of the fear of not getting along with anyone (he’d  _ certainly  _ get along with Phichit), and more the fear of what would happen if he did. There’s too many unknowns in the equation for him to be certain. 

 

“Maybe.” He says finally, and leaves it at that, before resuming the mind-relaxing process of running his fingers through the winter spirit’s hair. 

 

Dawn is approaching when he stops. Victor is still, breathing deeply, but when Yuuri pulls his hands away, his eyes blink open.

 

“You fell asleep.”  _ Wow, Yuuri. No greeting; you just  _ have  _ to state the obvious! _

 

Victor’s sleepy smile is soft as he stretches and sits up. He glances back to the wind spirit, whose dark eyes take in how the rising sun seems to curl in warmth around the other spirit. 

 

“Thank you.” He says past a yawn, and before Yuuri can respond, arms reach out and pull him close. Yuuri’s face ends up resting against Victor’s shoulder, and he can feel Victor bent into his own. His cheek brushes exposed skin, which is cold to the touch, but soothing and grounding the moment nevertheless. 

 

After the moment passes, Victor taps two fingers against Yuuri’s back and they break apart. Victor flashes a bright grin before saying. “See you tomorrow night!”

 

And with that Victor takes off, with Yuuri watching him disappear into the trees. He realizes he’s holding his breath, and lets it out as his form slumps. After a moment, he stands and takes to the sky, reminding himself to focus on getting through the day and to purposefully ignore Phichit’s smug and knowing gaze. 

 

Meanwhile, Victor slows to a stop and looks up to see Yuuri’s form ascending. His fingers stray over his hair and he smiles softly at the disappearing figure. 

 

As he continues on, he remembers that Yakov would be returning later today. It had been a three days journey both there and back, and in those six sat the silence between the winter and fire spirit that remained. 

 

“Victor.” He turns to Yuri when he finally stands on the top of the mountain. The sun is barely up, but Yuri stands with crossed arms.

 

“You’re up early.” Victor remarks, before yawning. “I think I’m going back to sleep for a bit…”

 

“I know where you’ve been going.”

 

Victor stops, but plays it off as nonchalance, as he turns back to the younger spirit. “Really now? Then you would know I like to go on walks when I can’t sleep.”

 

“Is that what you’re calling it?” Yuri storms close into Victor’s personal space, and only stopping then. “Leaving the mountain to make heart-eyes at some clueless  _ idiot _ all night long!”

 

Victor freezes, and for once, Yuri can see the holes in the elder spirit’s facade. He smirks at it, throwing his glance down to where Victor holds his own hands close, and then back up. 

 

“What do you know?” Victor says finally, more defensive than desperate, or at least he hopes.

 

“I’ve been watching long enough. You let him play with your hair this time.”

 

“So?”

 

“You never let  _ anyone _ touch it, not even on accident!”

 

“How does that matter?” Victor turns away, wishing to run to his cave, but instead refuses to look at Yuri.

 

“What matters is that every night, you sneak out off the mountain. I wonder what Yakov would say if he found out…”

 

“No!” Victor breaks his resolve, running back to Yuri. “Don’t tell him!”

 

“Why shouldn’t I?”

 

“He’ll never let me leave….” Victor sighs. “Not if he found out I was sneaking out. This is the happiest I’ve truly felt in a long time, and he’s my friend.”

 

When Yuri’s expression doesn’t change, he continues. “Maybe even my only friend. It’s lonely here, and I don’t know what I would do if I never got to….” He breaks off, to look at Yuri, who can no longer glower at him directly. Neither say anything for a long moment, until Yuri looks up again and in his eyes is the fire of a steeled and closed off resign. 

 

“Fine. I won’t tell Yakov.” He grounds out, before poking Victor hard in the chest. “But you owe me _ big time _ .”

 

Victor sighs, calling after Yuri as he walks off: “Thank you, Yuri. I’ll do anything...”

 

“And that moron better not screw with you!” Yuri calls over his shoulder, but leaves it as an unfinished threat as he retreats back to his solitude. Victor leaves it at that with a sigh, glancing up to the sky that is slowly filling with life, before retreating inside. 


	5. Melt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many things begin to melt, and they pray to hold together.

Hours later, Yakov’s voice jerks them both out of slumber and solitude. They both stumble out after incessant  shouting on the storm spirit’s part. Neither Victor or Yuri spare the other a glance, and Yakov at the very least pretends not to notice. 

 

“I take it there wasn’t any trouble.” Yakov doesn’t even bother pretending to be looking at the both of them, and Victor realizes with a pang that perhaps Yakov  _ had  _ noticed his absence. Yuri and Victor capture each other’s gaze for a long second, and neither allow their emotions to be easily read. 

 

Finally, he closes his eyes and sighs, before shaking his head. “Nothing.”

 

Victor lets himself slump in relief. He had kept his word. However, he quickly straightens as Yakov turns an examining glare to him. Neither say a word, and Victor finally averts his gaze, and Yakov hums to himself.  His frown has yet to fade, and he looks up to the sky. 

 

“Come on.” He says finally, not even looking to Victor, but gestures to him. “We need to make sure this place stays cold in the coming weeks.”

 

When Yuri doesn’t move, Victor glances to him before running after Yakov. “How long will that take?”

 

“Whenever we’re done.”

 

“Yeah, but  _ what time _ ?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yakov turns to him. “Because whenever you’re done, you’re going to rest.”

 

“ _ What _ ?”

 

“Or unless there is something you want to tell me?” Yakov challenges, acting as Victor hadn’t protested. Victor pauses, before shutting his mouth and fixing the storm spirit with a dirty glare that he ignores. 

 

“No…” Victor mutters finally.

 

“Good. Now let’s get to work.”

* * *

 

It’s days like these where he finds himself stealing glances at the daylight as he works. Whenever he can, he stops to watch the cloudy skies and wish that, perhaps, Yuuri would appear from one of them and take him away from his stupid mountain, even if only for a little bit. Then, he’s jarred from fantasy as Yakov berates him for his negligence. Occasionally, he glances over to Yuri, who seems smug on his seat on the rocks where he warms himself. 

 

_ He may not have told Yakov _ , he thinks miserably to himself,  _ but he still takes pride in my suffering.  _

 

Finally, the sun is visible on the horizon. He pauses in his work and turns to the older spirit. “Am I done yet?”

 

Yakov glances to him, then grumbles. “Fine.”

 

“Finally!” He sighs, dropping his work and running to the mountain’s edge. 

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

He freezes mid-step before turning to the cross-armed Yakov. He should have thought this out better….he should have kept in mind that Yakov was back and watching. 

 

“Uh...out.”

 

“Where? You’re not supposed to go anywhere, remember?”

 

“Can’t I enjoy a walk?”

 

“Rest would be better.” Yakov warns in a way that proves his words aren’t a suggestion, merely raising his eyebrow as he watches Victor’s fists clench. Snowflakes softly begin to descend, touching the shoulders of the two spirits.

 

“I’m not tired, Yakov. I want to go on a walk!”

 

“And I say no!” 

 

“Victor_”

 

“ _ No! _ ”

 

The snow responds to his anger and his cry. His fists clench even tighter, but before he can blink, the snowflakes turn on the older spirit with a fury pushed forward by the wind and begins to beat into him, the new sleet cutting into his face. Yakov grunts, stumbling back, and Yuri runs before he can find himself the next victim of the fury.

 

And all Victor can do is watch, covering his mouth in a wide-eyed horror as he sees cuts opening into the elder, and a familiar silver runs. He knows that silver; he’s seen it everytime he falls and cuts himself on the terrain. 

 

_ Stop. _

 

_ Stop! _

 

“STOP!”

 

The snowstorm obeys his command and drops to a slow snowfall again. Yakov’s hand traces one of the cuts on his face before looking up to Victor, who is trembling with glassy eyes. And the three (Yuri peeking out from his cave) ask themselves the same thing:  _ what had he done? _

 

“I’m okay.” Yakov pulls his hand away from the cut, before slowly starting towards the snow spirit. Victor shakes his head, sniffing back tears, and takes a couple steps back.  _ I hurt him...I actually hurt him.  _ It hurts to breathe with how quickly he is panting now. Yakov takes another step forward, palms out towards him.

 

“..Vitya…”

 

At his petname, his breath freezes in his chest. He turns and runs, not stopping when he hears Yakov screaming after him. He slides down the rocks, bare feet cutting against sharp edges, but he doesn’t stop. His journey is graceless, and he finally falls to his knees with a sharp wince. He doesn’t move for a long moment, biting back sobs unsuccessfully as he stares at his tears hitting the snow. He rests his arms on his knees as he props them up, before laying his forehead on his arms in order to shield his face. He didn’t want Yuuri to see him like... _ this. _

 

Yuuri...he would be coming soon; it’s growing dark. What would Yuuri say if he saw Victor  _ crying _ , of all things? No, he needs to calm down...just breathe…

 

He stiffens at the sound of footsteps, head snapping up as he hurriedly brushes away stray tears. Yuuri’s already here, he has to be quick to clean himself up…

 

But it’s not Yuuri, or really, anyone he knows. The spirit wears a dark suit that hugs his body, accenting his body with scarlet trim. However, he isn’t looking to Victor, and is rather kneeling over something in the snow. Slowly, Victor pulls himself to his feet, watching the spirit’s back.  _ Who is that? And what are they doing here…? _

 

Only one way to find out. HIs first step forward is cautious, but when he realizes that the other spirit hasn’t noticed, he takes a step forward again, and again, until he is standing right behind the unfamiliar spirit. 

 

“Who are you?”

 

Finally, the spirit looks up, gaze penetrating Victor into a standstill. He’s older than Victor, even if only slightly, but it’s enough to be noticeable. He smirks, before standing to face the winter spirit. 

 

“Ah, you must be new.” He says after a pause, in which he gives Victor a once-over, before giving a small wave. “I’m Chris. I’m here to make sure the flowers bloom correctly and on time.”

 

With that, he turns back, and now Victor can see the frown deepening as he stoops over something in the snow. This ‘flower’.

 

“Well...how is that going?”

 

Chris sighs, as he kneels down and digs out the snow from around what Victor can see is a tiny sprout, a light green rising from the white.

 

“The winter was harsher than usual this time. It actually stretched down and froze the lake this time.” Victor freezes at the mention of the lake, but Chris doesn't seem to notice. He lifts the sprout between his fingers and smiles when he lets go and it stands up on its own. “But they’re faring well. They should be ready by the time spring comes around.”

 

“...Spring?”  Now Chris pauses, before standing and turning to look at Victor with a growing frown. Victor’s brow furrows; is he supposed to know what ‘spring’ is?

 

“Spring is the next season. Everyone knows that.”

 

“I don’t.” Victor stands his ground. “What is it?”

 

“It’s when the snow starts to melt and disappear. The sun will come out more often and it’ll grow warmer so the flowers can bloom.” He smiles when he glances back at the sprout. “Like that one.”

 

“I’ve never seen  _ spring _ before…” Well, at least not close.

 

“...Who are you?”

 

Victor throws out his hand. “Victor.”

 

Chris glances to the hand, before taking it warily. His touch is warm against Victor’s, and after a quick shake, he pulls away. 

 

“You must be a winter spirit, for your grip to be cold.” He remarks, shaking the hand out.

 

Victor chuckles nervously, unsure how to take the comment. “Yeah...I’m usually at the mountains, but I’ve enjoyed the walk lately.” He then brushes the back of his head and allows himself to grin sheepishly. “Sorry about freezing the water and making it harder for spring to come. I didn’t realize it would do that.”

 

“Really now?” Chris seems less angry and more...amused, Victor supposes, and he laughs slightly. “Well that makes a lot of sense now. It’s good to meet you, Victor.”

 

“Victor?” He turns at his name, still holding out the slightly forced smile to see Yuuri land. He starts as he registers the other spirit. “Chris?! Is it almost spring already?”

 

Chris turns as well, and a suave smirk slips onto his face. He chuckles as he approaches the wind spirit, who merely stares up at him with owlish eyes. 

 

“Hello Yuuri. Good to see you again.” Chris slips up next to him, reaching behind Yuuri. When he squeaks, Victor feels his grin disappear and something hot settling in his chest. He doesn’t like to be hot, and this time isn’t any different. 

 

“P-please don’t do that, Chris.” Yuuri sputters, cheeks turning bright red. Chris’s facade falls at that, and he pulls his hand back. 

 

“You’re right. I apologise, Yuuri.” His hands remain in view from now on, and Victor relaxes after examining the expression he has delegated is sincere. Instead, he throws an arm over Yuuri’s shoulder. “You know Victor, I presume?”

 

Yuuri nods. “We’re friends.”

 

Chris hums at that, and Victor struggles to maintain an even gaze.

 

“Do you two... _ hang out?” _

 

“Yes_”

 

“No!” Victor looks to Yuuri, who is waving his hands in the flustered fashion he turns to. He notices, and quickly amends: “Well yes, but not like that, Chris!”

 

“Oh, but Yuuri, that sort of nature isn't a crime. You should know that.”

 

“I-I know...but it's still not like_”

 

“Besides I was insinuating that you too were hanging out as friends_” he flicks his gaze up to Victor. “Isn't that right, Victor?”

 

“Right.” Victor replies, but his frown proves he’s unclear on the intention. Chris, however, snaps it up with a grin and removes himself from leaning on top of Yuuri. 

 

“It’s growing dark, so I better be going.” He flicks a knowing smile to Victor before saying. “Hope we meet again.”

 

“Of course…”

 

Chris snaps his fingers and he disappears before their eyes, and Victor gasps at the sight. Yuuri seems used to it, and merely sighs at the sight. “He’s always like that, before you ask.”

 

“Why is hanging out a bad thing, Yuuri? I thought we were friends.” 

 

“We are. I enjoy being your friend. But Chris hadn’t meant it like that.” 

“What did he mean?”

 

Yuuri sighs again, running his hand through his hair. “Do you know what love is?”

 

“...What?”

 

“Chris thinks we’re trying to find love. Meaning we’re trying find intimacy with each other, a type of bond that’s closer than any other. Probably for a long time.”

 

“Well are we?”

 

Yuuri doesn’t answer, and instead, starts to the forest with dropped shoulders. Victor doesn't immediately follow after, instead he bows his head to try and decipher his jumbled thoughts about the meeting with Chris.

 

“Yuuri?”

 

The younger spirit stops and turns back, and Victor can't help but realize how  _ old  _ Yuuri seems when they meet each other’s gaze. His eyes are darker than usual, especially with the circles, and face pale. That couldn't be right.

 

“I'll...I’ll meet you there, okay?”

 

Yuuri merely nods before turning back and disappearing into the trees. When he’s certain Yuuri’s gone, he sighs and drops his shoulders.

 

Perhaps that's why Yakov wanted him to stay, since spring was arriving. It would be too hot if he stayed out all the time. The snow is supposed to melt, he guesses, and he couldn't easily bring it back, even if he could get away with it. Yakov wouldn't let him come back until the next time it grows cold.  _ If  _ that comes back.

 

And what about Yuuri...he wouldn't be able to see him. Maybe Yakov would allow him...no. Yakov would never allow it, especially after the stunt he just pulled.

 

_ I’ll never see him again….I'll never see Yuuri when winter ends. _

 

He grips tight at his robes at the ache, pulling to keep the clothing from pressing against his skin. He doesn't know how to respond when realizes the pain isn't external, but coming from somewhere deep in his chest. 

* * *

 

Yuuri doesn’t glance back to Victor after entering the forest. Rather, his gaze remains low, eyes seeing nothing as he stumbles among the trees. The day had already been long with the wind warming and him running back and forth to ensure that happens, and he hasn’t actually rested since he met Victor. 

 

So it makes sense that he hadn’t put two and two together when he first saw Chris. How could he not have realized that spring was approaching? Then, it’ll be too warm for Victor. He’ll have to return to the mountain…

 

He sits underneath the tree when he approaches, before pulling his knees to his chest and hugging them close. He should have known all this was too good to be true. He had never felt so happy, and now it was ending so quickly. He wouldn’t see Victor until late fall at the earliest. If Victor still wanted to see him after that long…

_ Of course he will.  _ A rational voice argues.  _ He seemed hurt when he thought you didn’t want to be his friend. _

 

But it’s more than that. He doesn’t know what to call the warmth stirring in his chest, but it only happens when he is near, sees, or even thinks of Victor. And it aches at the thought of leaving him for that long. 

 

_ Could it be….? _

 

_ No,  _ he shuts down the thought before even taking a chance of finishing it.  _ It can’t be….It shouldn’t be… _

 

Yuuri hides his head in his arms, simply staring at the dark of his robes. 

 

_ Victor doesn’t ‘love’ me, anyways. _

 

“Yuuri?”

 

He tenses, and sits up to see Victor watching him. His eyes seem downcast, and perhaps...tired, but it fades when Yuuri looks up to him. 

 

“Victor.” He lets go of his legs, and instead crosses them. “Hey...you alright?”

 

Victor blinks at him,  before slowly sitting next to him. When he doesn’t answer immediately, Yuuri’s brow furrows.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

He nods finally.  _ Okay, that’s a good start. _

 

“What happened?”

 

Victor pauses, then sighs, as if steeling himself. “Yakov, my mentor, doesn’t know I’ve been seeing you every night, but that I’ve been leaving all night. And he doesn’t like it. He tried to stop me from leaving today, and I got upset and…” Victor breaks, biting at the edge of his lip, and averting his gaze. Yuuri waits for him to take a shaky breath, and whisper:

 

“ _ I hurt him _ , Yuuri. I cut him so many times with the sleet….”

 

“Did you mean to?” Yuuri interjects quietly.

 

He shakes his head. “No. We may not always get along, but I would never want to hurt him.”

 

“Well, that counts to me. You didn’t mean to. Have you explained how you feel and apologized?”

 

He shakes his head again, and Yuuri sighs.

 

“Well, when you see him again, apologize so you can make things better. Okay?”

  
  


“Is there anything else?” Is prompted by a minute of silence to where Victor is looking up, but still seems to be shielding his expression. Only after another long pause, Victor finally looks to him, hair falling in over his face and obscuring his gaze. 

 

“Did you know? About spring?”

 

Now Yuuri can’t keep gaze; he looks down to the snow as he picks and chooses his words with care. 

 

“I did know. But I hadn’t forgotten how much time had passed since when we met and now. I didn’t put two and two together when I saw Chris. In all honesty, I had forgotten that it was no longer the middle of winter.” 

 

“You realize I can’t be here in spring.”

 

“I wouldn’t let you be here anyway.” Yuuri realizes what he said when Victor looks at him, and sputters as he continues. “I-I mean, I wouldn’t want something to happen to you because of how warm it would be.”

 

“But I won’t be able to see you.” Victor takes his hand, drawing the other spirit’s attention back to him. “I’ll miss you.”

 

Yuuri stares deep into the glassy sea, seeing the water threatening to break its barrier. No...he doesn’t know if he could bear it if Victor began to cry, his heart would only hurt worse….

 

“Yuuri?” He freezes at the cool feeling racing down his cheek. No, no,  _ no!  _ He can’t be breaking like this, not now…

 

But there’s no controlling the dam that has broken, especially when the thoughts that  _ Victor is leaving _ start crashing down. His shaky breath sobs and his chest heaves as he struggles to breathe. 

 

“Yuuri! I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.” 

 

_ I’m trying _ . He thinks around the mess of his thoughts and irregularity of his breathing.  _ I’m trying but I can’t stop _ . Victor pulls away and begins to blink at him, brow furrowing and discomfort intertwining into his expression.  _ Great, I’ve just scared him off. Now he won’t want to come back at all. I’ll never...ever...see him again.  _ He clenches his fists, one gripping his robes and the other simply resting on his lap. 

 

He breath hitches at the sudden force of the embrace, his face pressing against a broad chest underneath the robes. The hug is tight, but...grounding. 

 

“I’m sorry for making you upset, Yuuri. I didn’t mean to.”

 

Yuuri just nods, the hand on his robe unclenching and wrapping around Victor. He leans into Victor’s chest, feeling his chest rise and fall. Victor doesn’t try to move him; rather, he runs a hand through Yuuri’s hair. Neither say a word until Yuuri’s sobs fade, and his breathing is beginning to even out again. 

 

“We’ll...we’ll figure it out. Somehow, we’ll find a way to see each other.”

 

“Promise?”  _ I don’t want you to leave. _

 

Victor looks down to the other spirit, a small smile on his face. “Promise.”

 

Yuuri sighs, and Victor leans back against the tree. His hand doesn’t stop the now continuous motion, and after a while their breaths match. 

 

_ I should tell him.  _ Yuuri suddenly thinks, glancing up to Victor’s tranquil look over the lake.  _ He deserves to know that he makes me feel the most wonderful I have felt in ages, if not ever.  _

 

“Victor?” 

 

“Hm?” His motion ceases, and his gaze falls onto him gently from the landscape. 

 

“I…”

 

_ But...what would I call that? Love? _

 

No, love seems too steep of a word, especially after the explanation he gave Victor earlier. Even if he did, he doesn’t want to risk broken hearts and friendships by misusing such a word.

 

“I...I don’t know what to call this…I’m sorry_”

 

“Don’t worry about it, Yuuri.” He tucks a lock of hair behind Yuuri’s ear before restarting the motion through his hair. “You and I are tired and worried, I can tell that much. Don’t worry about telling me anything until you feel better, okay?”

 

He looks up to his furrowed brow and the brightness in his eyes, wishing to argue, but instead sighs and nods. 

 

“Right.” He gently settles back against Victor’s chest and the other spirit doesn’t say another word.

  
Minutes pass, and neither see the arrival of the moon, or how it looks in view of the lake’s reflection, or how the sky spirits are searching for their forms from high above. Everything is forgotten in closed eyes, a lack of words, and finally, the sweet embrace of dreams for them both. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Updates for this story may slow down slightly come March because every March I pose myself a challenge where I write an entire story during the month and try to beat a certain amount of words that I had the year before [you currently can't find the previous years' because I haven't transferred them here yet], but that means my priority will be going to that story, and this one will be on the side starting March! I'll try not to hold if off for long, I promise! Hopefully I can update once a week or something.
> 
> I hope you liked it! Next chapter is going to be interesting, for sure!)


	6. Discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Victor slept until late morning.

 

_ “Yuuri….” _

 

He swats away the voice.  _ Let me dream a little longer.  _  He knows he needs to get up and work, but Minako would still be patient if he slept  _ five more minutes... _ besides, his bed is comfy. 

 

But the voice persists. “ _ Yuuri.” _

 

_ Go away!  _ He was having a marvelous dream. He had actually met up with Victor, and though it had been a rough start, he found himself being held in the spirit’s arms. Everything had seemed so real...and he’s not ready to leave the embrace yet. 

 

_ “ _ Yuuri! _ ”  _ The hiss shocks his ear and neck and he starts with a slight gasp. He turns quickly to the source, meeting Phichit’s gaze that’s merely inches away from him.  

 

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you all morning!”

 

“What? What are you talking about?” He fights back a yawn unsuccessfully before pulling away so it doesn’t hit his friend directly in the face.

 

“Minako was frantic! She had gone to let you know you were running late, but you weren’t home! Shashi and I have been helping her look for you for hours now!”

 

He freezes mid eye-rub, pulling his hand away as his eyes widen. Phichit merely continues, though, before Yuuri can butt in. 

 

“And here you are! I mean, the scene is very cute and all, but could you  _ not  _ pick a different time to sleep with him?”

 

“ _ What!”  _ His head snaps back to the tree he had been lying against, and sure enough, Victor sleeps soundly, head resting against the trunk of the tree. That means…

 

Yuuri groans, hiding his rapidly blushing face behind his hands. The entire dream had been true. Every. Single. Part. 

 

“I’m going to get Shashi and Minako. Once we get back, we’ll need to go.”

 

When Yuuri doesn’t respond, Phichit simply nods, and takes off again, leaving Yuuri to register all that was said. 

 

He and Victor have been gone all night...they overslept into mid-day. He hadn’t realized he had been  _ that  _ tired….he should have been careful! Minako will kill him when she finds out where he is and how long he had been hiding this from her_

 

“Victor!” 

 

The call juts him out of his thoughts. It was an elder voice, straining with volume and age. It calls again, managing to be even louder: “VICTOR!”

 

_ That must be Yakov!  _ He barely thinks before the realization smacks him across the face.  He immediately turns to the silver-haired spirit, shaking his shoulder. “Victor you need to get up.”

 

Victor merely groans and slips out of Yuuri’s grasp. At the same time, another voice, this one younger, calls: “VICTOR!”

 

Yuuri glances around frantically, before shaking his friend again. “Victor, you need to get up  _ now _ !”

 

“Ugh…” he tries to push out of Yuuri’s grip. “Five more minutes.”

 

He slips out, but Yuuri grabs him by the front of his robes, so he doesn’t hit his head.

 

“Victor!” He hisses. “This is serious! You need to get up; Yakov is looking for_”

 

“ _ YOU!” _

 

His grip on Victor slips as he’s thrown back. He winces when he hits the ground on his back, and the left side of his body feels as if it's burning.

 

_ What was that!? _

 

The furious burning slowly fades into a slight throb and his breaths seem to echo as he finally tries to sit back up with a grunt. Before he can, though, the deliberate stomp on his shoulder makes him cry out. 

 

“You’ve got a lot of  _ nerve  _ to treat him like that!” Yuuri looks up to the boy standing over him, bright flames consuming everything from his clenched fists to his hair flying back in the wind that is picking up. “I’ll make you regret everything you’ve ever done towards Victor_!”

 

“STOP IT!” The silver blur knocks off the burning fury, who tumbles into the snow, and the fires extinguish. Victor grunts and kneels next to Yuuri, who is slowly sitting up. “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine.” Yuuri grinds out as he sits up, before looking up to Victor. “Your hands….your hair…”

 

Victor’s hands are already blistering from the touch, the edges of his hair is burnt because it wasn’t pulled back when he acted impulsively. But his hands...his hands are what sends Yuuri into action, despite the protest from his left arm and shoulder.

 

“Yuuri...I’m okay.”

 

The wind spirit scoops the cold snow from the ground, before dumping it into his hands. Victor gasps slightly at the relief.

 

“Is that helping?” He watches carefully for Victor’s nod, before pulling the spirit close. “Thank the Elders you’re okay.”

 

Victor stiffens, but after a moment, relaxes into Yuuri’s shoulder with a sigh.

 

“Victor?”

 

The moment is short as Victor straightens, and turns to see the old spirit standing at the edge of the clearing. From there, he can see Yuri laying the snow and is slowly getting up, and the two sitting a few feet away, the stranger of the trio now gently holding the bottom of Victor’s hands. 

 

“What is going on here?”

 

No one speaks for a long moment. Victor glances to Yuuri, who meets his gaze with wide eyes. That must be Yakov, after all. 

 

Finally, Yuri huffs and sits up, before pointing at Victor. “He pushed me!”

 

“You hurt Yuuri!”

 

“First of all,” Yuri stands, and points at himself. “ _ I’m  _ Yuri! Not that moron! Second of all, he was hurting you while you were sleeping! You remember what I said about if he screwed with you!”   
  


“I wasn’t hurting him.” Yuuri buts in. “I was trying to wake him up because I realized we had fallen asleep.” 

 

“Who are you?” Yuuri stiffens when Yakov’s full gaze is on him. 

 

“Yuuri.” He bows his head. “I’m Victor’s friend.”

 

“I’ve never heard of you.” Yakov’s eyes narrow, a storm brewing behind his pupils. “How do I know I can trust you?”

 

“Because I know him.”

 

The four turn to the new voice to see a trio of spirits approaching. Yuuri notices Phichit and Minako standing on opposite side, while Shashi stands in between them, eyes searching the scene, before looking up to Yakov. 

 

“Hello Yakov.”

 

“Shashi.” He whispers, before giving a single bow. Shashi holds up a hand, and he straightens. 

 

“Yuuri here is a friend of mine. Minako here,” she gestures to the woman, “is his mentor. I assume you are Victor’s mentor.”

 

“Supposed to be.” Yakov grumbles, crossing his arms. “But he keeps running off!”

 

“That happens. I’m sure you were that way when you were younger. You wanted to explore.”

 

“But even then, I knew the forests were dangerous! And now Yuri_” He gestures to the fire spirit_ “had to tell me that the reason we couldn’t find him this morning was because every night he was sneaking off here. What if he had gotten hurt?”

 

“I agree, but he didn’t.” Shashi approaches, but stops right behind Yuuri. She touches his   right shoulder before continuing. “He found Yuuri, who is smart, dependable, kind, and I’m sure would never do anything to intentionally hurt Victor. He thinks highly of your charge.”

 

Victor shoots him a look, but he ignores it as he looks up to Yakov.

 

“I trust your word.” He says finally. “I know you are a trustworthy spirit, and you wouldn’t lie to me.” He puts a hand on Victor’s shoulder, and the winter spirit looks up to his mentor. “Let’s go.”

 

“Will I get to see Yuuri again?” 

 

“What?” Yakov tries to catch Victor’s gaze again, but he won’t look to the older spirit. 

 

“He’s my friend, but you won’t let me come back down here, and spring is coming. Will I get to see him again?”

 

Shashi glances to Victor, before looking up to Yakov. “What do you say to that?”

 

When Yakov doesn’t respond, she squeezes Yuuri’s shoulder and lets go to approach Yakov. “These two spirits have found a friendship outside of their own spheres. I understand it was against your rules, but should we really deny them the chance of a relationship like this?”

 

Yakov doesn’t speak, and doesn’t look to the woman in front of him, or any of the other spirits. Shashi merely waits, and Yuuri latches onto Victor’s arm. No gaze strays away from the old spirit. 

 

Finally, he sighs. “Fine. I am willing to work out a way for...Yuuri to come visit Victor and for Victor to occasionally leave to visit his friend.”

 

Shashi smiles as the two friends let out their held breath and Yuuri’s grip relaxes. “I will be there in a couple days to help finalize details. Thank you for understanding.”

 

Yakov grunts, and pulls Victor to his feet, avoiding touching his hands. “Let’s get back.”

 

Shashi kneels next to Yuuri, and winces at the sight of his arm. She gently helps him to his feet as she soothes: “Let’s get that fixed up when we get back.”

 

Both are escorted opposite directions. When Yuuri reaches his group, he glances back to see Victor has done the same, and their gazes meet. Sapphire and russet bond over questions, silent goodbyes, but also a definite promise.

  
_ I’ll see you again.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Okay so I'm sorry if it seemed that things were going to screech to a stop after last chapter. I had today off so I got another chapter done! And don't worry guys, we are nowhere near the end yet! We still have some time to go! 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think! :) )


	7. Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years may have passed, but how much has really changed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Okay so I'm not dead! I've just been very busy with a whole lot of everything (I barely finished my March challenge thing on time [okay, well, not really]), but I'm really excited to be returning to this project.
> 
> If anyone is interested in that kind of deal, I do have a  Yuri!!! On Ice blog on Tumblr  (it's not my main), if anyone wants to come and vent in my inbox or whatever people do. 
> 
> Also, guys??? Over THREE HUNDRED views!? That is amazing! Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!)

The sun is just peeking over the horizon when the group of wind spirits near home. Yuuri smiles at the shape of the mountain in the distance.  _ I’m home. _

 

“Today’s the big day, huh?” Minako asks at his side. With a glance to her, he nods. “Well, it’s a good thing that we have the day off.”

 

“Oh yeah!” The youngest of the group, Kenjirou Minami, bursts in at the sudden realization, not even paying attention to what the elder two were saying. “Yuuri, what do you want to do today? Maybe we could go watch the younger spirits play. Or, or we could even  _ join _ them_!”

 

“Not today, Minami.” Yuuri says gently, and Minami pouts at his mentor. “I’m going to see a friend of mine today.”  _ I haven’t seen Victor in so long; I’m lucky Shashi arranged for me to get that message_ _

 

“Can I come with you?” Yuuri’s thoughts halt at the question, and for a moment, he merely blinks at his student before glancing up helplessly to his own former teacher. Minako throws her glance down to the youngest spirit, who is still talking as he doesn’t notice the silent conversation between the others: “I’ll be good. I’ll stay quiet_”

 

He breaks off as Yuuri sets a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Tell you what. You go back to rest for now; you need it.” He adds, noting the yawn creeping up on his student. “If you go back with Minako and rest, I’ll take you to meet Victor sometime.”

 

He gasps, now acquiring a name to go with the friend of the teacher of his admiration. “Really?”

 

Yuuri nods, and Minami beams before Minako throws an arm over the younger spirit’s shoulder, pulling him away before he can do anything more.

 

“Come on! Let your teacher get going now.” Minako throws a look back. “He misses his friend and he doesn’t want to be late for the ceremony!”

 

Yuuri glances back to the sun, gasping as he realizes dawn is breaking. He glances back once more before taking a quick wind in the direction of the mountain. Even in his rush, he can’t help but admire the beauty of Victor’s home as the sunlight starts to hit the sides. He imagines the light reflecting off the blue in Victor’s eyes, and the burning red of his cheeks is no longer just the wind’s work. 

 

He lands softly in the snow to find he’s still early, as Victor is still nowhere to be seen. 

 

“Look who finally showed up.” Yuuri turns at Yuri’s biting sarcasm to see the fire spirit leaning back against the warming rocks (his favorite spot). Yuuri beams at him in response. 

 

“It’s good to see you too, Yurio.”

 

‘Yurio’ scowls at the nickname, and both recall when Yuuri’s sister had met years ago and had given him the name, claiming that Yuuri was older, and so his name couldn’t change. Yuuri remembers the light on Victor’s face as he laughed and proceeded to tease the feisty spirit about it for the rest of the night. 

 

“Be nice, Yuri!” The redhead drapes herself over the scowling spirit’s shoulders, causing him to sputter. Mila cheerfully ignores the noise, and instead looks up to the wind spirit. “Hi, Yuuri! It’s been a while!”

 

“Yeah.” Yuuri agrees sheepishly. “I just got home from the monsoon winds near the ocean. I have a student now, his assignment was to join me and a couple others in helping create the monsoons.”

 

“Oh, out in the northeast?”

 

He nods.

 

“I was out there a while back. Not for monsoons, of course. Had to watch the humans. Make sure they didn’t overwork that land...I worked too hard for it to go to waste so quickly.”

 

He nods. “I tend to stay away from the humans.”

 

“Most do. It’s not like they can see you anyway.”

 

“You don’t know that.” All three turn to the deep voice as the fourth figure approaches in dark gray robes. Georgi continues. “The humans  _ could  _ see you. You know Yakov doesn’t like how close you get to them.”

 

“But they didn’t.” She shrugs off with a tone that suggests to leave the conversation where it was, and Yuuri swoops back in before any sense of a squabble can start.

 

“So I don’t quite understand, but what is the ceremony for?” He may not have been around them for a particularly long time, but he can sense when a fight is going to start among the younger spirits. 

 

Luckily, the crisis is dropped and averted almost immediately as Mila turns to him. “Victor completed his training under Yakov. This is the ceremony for his official move from student to fully independant spirit...wind spirits don’t do that?”

 

“Well, not  _ exactly _ .” There really wasn’t a ceremony. It was more that Minako clapped him on the back, offered him a drink (to which he politely refused) before getting  _ extremely drunk _ , leaving Yuuri to help her home. Then the next day, he started preparing for his own student. “Will Victor get a student?”

 

“Probably not right away. There aren’t very many snow spirits.”

 

“Not for a while after what he did this morning.” Yurio smirks to himself, not even trying to hold back a chortle. 

 

“What?” Yuuri feels his breath hitch, but he covers it up quickly. “What did he do?”

 

“Cut his hair.” Yurio’s laughter escalates. “It looked  _ so bad _ ! He’s so dramatic; he started this weird noise when he realized!”

 

The others wait until Yurio calms down only slightly before Yuuri turns to Mila. “Why did he cut his hair?”

 

Mila shrugs. “I’m not really sure, honestly. Knowing Victor, it was probably a lot of things.”

 

“He got it stuck in a bush the other day.” Yurio finally says, the grin still remaining just slightly, but fades at Yuuri’s expression. “Don’t give me that look. I know you liked his hair, but you haven’t been around for a while, and he won’t let anyone else so much as touch it.”

 

“He let me today.” Georgi chimes in, while Yuuri feels his cheeks burn at the comment. 

 

“Well that’s because you had to fix the mess he made.”

 

“I was going to add that he kept pouting before you interrupted me.” He throws the look to Mila, and she rolls her eyes.  

 

Yakov appears from around the corner before anyone else can say a word. He nods silently to Yuuri, who bows at the sight of the elder. When he rises again, Yakov has his back turned to him, and instead is watching the sun begin to show itself above the edge of the mountain. He sighs impatiently, crossing his arms. Yurio leans back slightly as Mila crosses her legs and Georgi watches Yuuri, who bites the inside of his cheek, still standing.

 

Then it happens. He hears the footsteps first, and the shape stands out as a shadow against the sun. The form approaches and Yuuri hears himself gasp. 

 

Victor has grown since the last time they had seen each other, going from being near his height, to shooting to where Yuuri now meets his shoulder. His robes are a pure white, matching the snow at his now covered feet. His hair is indeed shorter than before, perhaps barely touching the back of his neck, while the silver curtain of fringe hangs over one of his eyes, and yet that ever piercing blue strikes right into Yuuri. Victor smiles at the sight of him, a real, genuine version instead of something forced like in the past. 

 

He wishes to say something,  _ anything _ to Victor, but stops himself as Yakov approaches the winter spirit, standing in front of him. Even though the old spirit is shorter than his protege, he manages to wrangle Victor’s attention most of the way (save for the occasional glance Victor throws up to the others watching) as he talks in a low voice. Victor nods at the end of the speech, and bows for Yakov, who puts his hands on the winter spirit’s shoulders. He looks up to the sky, the universal position of the Elders, in a prayer while the breeze swishes past their hearing as they follow his gaze to the sky.

 

_ Let Victor be successful. _

 

_ Let him be happy. _

 

Yakov turns to the small group watching, announcing. “Welcome Victor, the spirit of the winter on this mountain. He is now one of many who will uphold the commands of the Elders and tend to this world.”

 

“Welcome!” came the sparse, but still loud calls, Yuuri grinning as he says his. Victor nods, and like that, the ceremony is over. It seems Victor made a beeline straight to Yuuri, his heart-shaped grin lighting up his face.

 

“Yuuri!” He’s glad he didn’t try to escape, for as soon as Victor was in vicinity his arms wrap around Yuuri, pulling him close and tight, causing Yuuri to elicit a small squeak. “You made it!”

 

“Geez Victor, you’re killing him.” Mila remarks, and Victor seems to pause before releasing Yuuri, and places his hands on the younger and smaller spirit’s shoulders.

 

“O-of course I would!” Yuuri catches his breath and his first word stutters out, but he manages to say something before Victor. “I got your message. I wouldn’t miss this for  _ anything _ .” His statement only makes Victor beam brighter. Yurio makes a gagging sound somewhere in the background. 

 

“Do you want to go on a walk?” The snow spirit ignores the noise without so much as an eye twitch, but keeps his eyes on Yuuri. Yuuri wishes to reply eagerly, but the yawn catches him off guard, and he covers it so it doesn’t directly blow into Victor’s face. Still, his eyes widen at the possibility that never actually occurred, and his grip tightens over his mouth.

 

Victor, however, chuckles. “We can wait until tonight, if that would be better.”

 

“...I think it would be best.” Yuuri says after removing his hands from his face. “I came straight here when I got back.”

 

_ Take that back.  _ Victor’s smile fades.  _ You’re making him feel guilty. Why are you so manipulative_ _

 

“You should stay here, then.”

 

“Huh?” He blinks at Victor, who is watching him with a serious expression that wasn’t there before. 

 

“Yuuri_” There he goes, with that light scold in his voice that whispers ‘ _ you probably mean well, but it’s not really working’ _ _ “you look like you haven’t slept at all. It would be better to rest here instead of trying to fly home. You can just stay in my room!”

 

Victor takes him by the shoulder and pulls him along as he sputters.

 

“W-wait! What about you?”

 

“What about me?” Victor is still walking, so Yuuri slips out of his hold. Victor stops and looks back at him. 

 

“ _ I mean _ , don’t you need your room?”

 

“Well I_”

 

“Vitya.” Victor turns at the name to see Yakov waits. “You have work to do.”

 

“Oh.” Yuuri whispers as Victor nods and turns back to him.

 

“Come on.” Yuuri doesn’t argue as Victor takes his arm and leads him into one of the caves. Inside, it seems all sound has muted, and Yuuri takes a good look around to the stone walls, and then to the small statue in the corner that is currently unrecognizable. 

 

“My bed is this way.” Victor pulls him along before he can ask any questions.

 

“Here you go.” Victor forces him to sit on the bed, and Yuuri’s shocked to find that it’s not freezing to the touch, and his friend seems to note the expression. “It adjusts to body temperature, just so you know. It’s part of the charm.”

 

Yuuri nods, leaning back against the sheets that feel as if they’re warming by the second.

 

“Thank you, I…”

 

Victor shushes him, leaning him back with a firm hand until his head rests on the pullow. He pulls up only slightly on the blanket with a soft ghost of a smile. “Rest.”

 

And Yuuri obeys. It’s as he closes his eyes that he feels something brush his forehead, the shape of lips pressing before it’s gone again. Heat rushes into his face and his eyes snap open, but Victor has already turned away, not looking back to give any clue to the expression on his face, or to see if Yuuri was watching him go. 

 

The elated feeling is in his chest again, as it had been when he arrived that morning. Oh, how it makes his ribs hurt, but he can’t stop the giddy grin spreading on his face. He covers his face with his hands, feeling the heat against his palms. 

 

_ Oh dear Elders, I knew I missed him, but I didn’t think I would be  _ this  _ happy? _

 

_ Is this normal?  _

 

It’s a question he can’t bring himself to answer and he turns his head slightly to the statue at the head of the bed. It’s not like anything he’s seen; it sits, looking as if the snout, ears, and feet had all been carved by Victor himself. It’s a strange creature that he wonders how in the  _ world _ Victor has managed to produce. 

 

_ Maybe he made it up _ ?  _ It’s still extremely strange though… _

 

_ And yet that thought doesn’t scare me as much as it perhaps should? In fact, my chest still feels as if it blooms at the mere thought of him... _

  
He feels his thoughts waning at the question, and he poses to ask all these things from Victor later as the warmth of the cocoon of blankets pulls him into the lull of sleep. 


	8. Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stars watch down over two people trying to find their way through the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I was sick today so I managed to get this done. 
> 
> Thanks for over 400 views! Thank you so much for following this story and I hope you like the next chapter!)

_ I can’t believe I did that. _

 

Victor is able to hide the blush in his cheeks as exertion, and when Yakov notices, he’s ordered to sit down in the shade. So now, Victor watches, warmth still present as Yakov commands Mila to return to work instead of teasing Yurio. 

 

_ Maybe he had already fallen asleep.  _

 

_ Ah, who am I kidding? He was very much awake. It had only been moments after he laid down! _

 

His breath catches, heart stopping in a sudden pause. 

 

_ I can’t panic, though.  _ As his side begins to burn, his puts a hand to it.  _ I’m making something out of nothing. I have to be...yeah…. _

 

“Vitya.” He looks up, hand still at his side. “You okay?”

 

His breathing is already evening out after the small burst. However, when he pulls his hand away, there is still a slight ache as the heat fades. He’s able to brush it off, and instead nods as he stands. “I’m fine.”

 

Yakov’s expression doesn’t change, and after a moment he nods. “Very well. Let’s get back to work.”

* * *

When Yuuri wakes hours later, Yurio finds him and merely jabs his thumb in the direction of Victor’s room. Victor understands, and leaves Mila and Georgi behind in their own conversation. Even in the dark of the cave, he can see Yuuri slowly sit up and let his feet rest against the floor next to his shoes. He looks up to see Victor waiting at the entryway, and nods to allow his entrance.

 

“Feeling better?” Victor asks as he approaches. Yuuri nods as he yawns.

 

“Yes. Thank you.”

 

“Anytime.” The smile is small, but still holds power over Yuuri as he looks to the side with a blush. It fades and Victor looks down to the spot he crouches at. Victor’s actions from earlier that day act as a weighted force between them, weighing down the silence with each passing second….

 

“Victor?”

 

He looks up and finds Yuuri is looking at him again. Perhaps he is going to say something...ask why or show his revulsion….

 

“What’s...what’s that statue supposed to be?”

  
  


He follows Yuuri's point and beams at the sight. “A dog!”

 

“A….what?”

 

“It’s...it’s this creature_”  _ How do I explain it…It was so much easier when I saw it_  _ “I’ll show you!”

 

Victor grabs him by the arm, and pulls him to his feet. 

 

“W-what? How are you going to do that? Why?”

 

“You’ll see!”

* * *

The sun is just beginning to set, Yuuri notices sometime after Victor pulled him down the mountain top. They approach the forest, and Yuuri feels himself warm at the familiar sight…

 

Until Victor leads him through it, not even stopping for a breath. Yuuri’s smile fades into a frown.  _ Isn’t this too far for Victor? What if something happens? _

 

“It’ll be fine, Yuuri. I’ve been this way multiple times.” Yuuri blinks, not even realizing he had spoken out loud, too stunned for a response. So has he gotten used to this?

 

They fall back into a rhythmed silence, matching their breaths and footsteps in the snow.  Finally, a house sits on the hill, smoke rising from a column in the top. Victor stops, and crouches. Yuuri, with an uncertain glance to his friend, sits down next to him. “What are we doing?”

 

“You’ll see.” Victor whispers. “Just wait.”

And so he waits. He glances to Victor to find his gaze hasn’t moved from the doorway. Yuuri keeps his word, and waits.

 

Finally, the door opens and a creature bounds out. Its tongue lolls out as it pants, before retreating into its mouth. The snout of the creature touches the snow as it begins to sniff and travel outward from the shelter, its four paws leaving tracks in the snow. 

 

“ _ That’s _ a dog?” Victor finally breaks from his trance and looks to Yuuri with a furrowed brow.

 

“Wait...you  _ really  _ didn’t know what a dog was?”

 

“Well...n-no…” Victor frowns and Yuuri squeaks. “I...w-what I mean...I don’t get close to humans, I even avoid them if I can_”

 

Victor gives a low whistle and the dog abandons its search. Its head raises as the body goes taut. Small, beady eyes watch the two spirits before Victor pats his hands on his lap. 

 

Yuuri isn’t able to get out of the way as quickly as Victor. He cries out when the dog leaps at his face. The paws push him back and flops down on his chest when he slams to the ground. His breaths are quick, but he forgets for a moment when the tongue of the dog slimes his face. He stops fighting and looks to the dog in shock as it continues.

 

Victor is laughing in the background, and when Yuuri glances up, he clarifies through giggles: “She likes you!”

 

“Really?” Yuuri tests by putting his hands on either side of the dog’s head. She leans into the touch, tail wagging, and Yuuri gives a cautious smile and laugh. “S-she’s very nice.”

 

“Try scratching behind her ears; she likes that.” Victor adds as he kneels next to Yuuri, who obeys, and finds with a satisfaction that she wags her tail even faster. Though, he’s thrown off again when she licks his face again.

 

Victor sits next to him, running his fingers through the dog’s fur. He watches Yuuri’s grin, the one he probably didn’t even realize he was wearing as he nuzzled the fur of the dog, and VIctor as if he can’t hear Yuuri’s coos to the creature. It’s a scene he can’t tear his eyes away from, especially from the dark-haired spirit resting his head against the dog.  _ Definitely worth the travel.  _

 

A whistle disturbs the scene that freezes. Yuuri glances to Victor, who places his hands up to show he wasn’t the cause. The whistle calls again, and the dog slips from Yuuri’s grip and out of the bushes. Both spirits turn to see a human meet the dog a distance away, looking up to the bushes where the two spirits are. 

 

Yuuri gasps and tries to duck down, but Victor grabs him, and shakes his head.

 

“Victor, we could get in serious trouble_”

 

“Humans can’t see us, Yuuri.” He calmly looks back to the human, who had turned and led the dog back into the shelter. “Trust me, I’ve never been spotted.”

 

Yuuri still watches the human disappear inside, before looking back to Victor’s eyes. His hand had at some point traveled to Yuuri’s cheek, thumb now stroking his cheek without much thought. Yuuri doesn’t glance to it, afraid the...actually soothing gesture would end. Rather, he stares at Victor, and slowly reaches out for Victor’s arm…

 

The motion stops and Victor withdraws, leaving Yuuri to quickly pull back his arm before Victor notices. He represses the longing deep in his chest for the touch again, for the feeling blossoming in his chest that only grows under Victor’s gaze…

 

But Victor isn’t even looking to him. He frowns when he realizes Victor is instead staring at the ground. It’s different to see his shoulders hunch, hair obscuring his expression as the grip on his legs makes his arms shake.

 

“...Victor?” The mention of his name snaps him out of the trance. His grip releases with a deep breath and places his hands in the snow. When he looks up, his cheeks are a slight tint of red. Another breath (that this time shakes),and he steadies, and like that, whatever happened is over. But still… “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine. I’m probably just...tired.” His answer is one of a sigh, and Yuuri nods as he stands.

 

“We should probably get back then.”   _ It’s still early, but there will be other nights _ . He holds out his hand, and Victor merely stares at it for a long moment. Finally, he takes it, and Yuuri pulls him to his feet. 

 

Victor’s not too dazed that he can’t walk, so Yuuri doesn’t  _ have  _ to lead him along. He could just let go; Victor may even get upset  if he is treated as if he were incapable. Yet, when he tries to slip his hand away, Victor grips tighter, lacing his fingers into Yuuri’s outstretched hand. Yuuri feels the heat go to his face as his gaze snaps down to their hands. Victor, on the other hand, doesn’t do so, and instead doesn’t loosen his grip. Yuuri steals one glance up, then allows his own hand to clasp Victor’s. 

 

_ I don’t know what I feel. _ Yuuri looks away to avoid any type of reaction from Victor. Instead, he looks up to the moon, shining bright from where Shashi had set it.  _ All I know is that I enjoy Victor’s presence in a way that’s different from others. He’s the first I’ve wanted to stay...perhaps ever.  _

 

_ Does he feel the same way?  _ Yuuri wants to glance to Victor, but instead forces himself to look down.  _ I may never know.  _

 

Yet he doesn’t see the way a small (though tired) smile flickers on his face, as he glances down to their hands, and then to Yuuri, who watches the stars. He watches the slight dust of red on his cheeks, the way his eyes shine in the light.

 

And under the stars, two minds both share a new thought:

 

_ Is this what love is? _

  
And for once, the answer_ though unknown_ isn’t a no. 


	9. Above the Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though physical presences stay firmly on the ground, who says thoughts can't rise up above the clouds?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! I'm not dead! I'm on break for another couple of months so hopefully I'll get a lot done!
> 
> Come shout gibberish at [my Tumblr](https://yuuriiikatsukii.tumblr.com/)if you want.

There’s a fine contrast between being among the skies with other wind spirits and the mountain. In the skies, there seems to be an order, a ritual for everything, and much homage is given to the Elders. Even with his...energetic student, his home holds to an unbroken tranquility.

 

The mountain (on the other hand) has little order, the most important ritual being setting off to work (which even then varies, considering the oddity that their group consists of different elements), and there are many more unpredictabilities. Victor is dramatic, and at times vain. Yuri is easily prone to anger (leading him to bickering with Mila, Victor, Yakov, and on occasion, Georgi), and doesn’t listen well. Mila is proud and doesn’t know when to stop. When Georgi is pressed to a breaking point, he cries and loses control of the rain. The only prayers Yuuri hears is from Yakov begging to keep at least a _shred_ of his sanity.

 

And honestly, Yuuri wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Even if there are days he wonders why.

 

Like today, when he hasn’t even landed and he can hear the screaming. He lands quickly and dodges a rock thrown in his direction. Mila had dodged it, too, and she wasn’t laughing.

 

“Yuri, you need to-”

 

“Don’t touch me _hag_!” Yurio spits at her, and Yuuri makes sure he’s out of the line of fire should the fire spirit try to throw something else. Rather, he pulls himself farther up the rocks. “Touch me and I’ll burn your hand off!”

 

“Um…” Both spirits freeze at the sound, and Yuuri takes a step back when both look to him. “I was looking for Victor….do I need to come back later?”

 

“ _Leave_.” Yurio hisses but Mila shushes him, and turns to address Yuuri.

 

“He went out with Yakov, something about the other side of the mountain.” Mila shrugs, dropping her tense pose.

 

“Oh...then what are you two doing?”

 

“Not your business!” Yurio snaps.

 

“Yuri’s hair is a mess; it’s getting too long to let down and not expect it to be an issue.”

 

“My hair is _fine_!”

 

“Yakov said it wasn’t. What if you get it caught like Victor did?”

 

“Victor’s an idiot!” Yurio stares right at Yuuri when he says that.

 

Yuuri blinks, and sighs. “Mila does have a point. Your hair is already getting tangled as it is. I…” He stutters when neither spirit responds. “I could pull it back for you.”

 

“Yuuri, I already tried that-”

 

“Fine.”

 

Both older spirits look to Yurio, who seems to resign himself.

 

“You….Just do it already.”

 

Yuuri glances to Mila, who shrugs as if to say: “ _I don’t know either”_. Yuuri nods, and slowly climbs up the rocks to approach Yurio, who hasn’t budged from his spot. Yuuri crawls up next to him, and situates himself behind the fire spirit, yet still hesitates.

 

“Um...could you perhaps get rid of the fire in your hair? I don’t want to burn my hands…”

 

Yurio sighs in an almost exaggerated fashion, but the flickers disappear within moments.

 

“Thank you.” He looks up to Mila, who nods and sits back at the bottom of the rocks. He runs his fingers through Yurio’s hair, breaking apart tangles as the younger spirit grunts occasionally.

 

“I hope this isn’t hurting you.” Yurio doesn’t answer to that, so Yuuri takes that he’s fine. He does one more run through before gripping a part of the hair near his temple and gently pulls it back.

 

“What are you doing?” Yurio tries to turn, but Yuuri stops him with a hand.

 

“Pulling your hair back so it won’t get in your face.” He stops. “Is that okay?”

 

Yurio faces forward and mutters, “ _I guess_ ,” before Yuuri sets back to work. Two braids back should work, and pull it back into a tail….

 

“Where’d you learn to do that?” Mila joins them sitting, staring at Yuuri.

 

“My mentor, back in the sky.” He explains, brow furrowing as he braids. “She wanted me to be prepared should I have a student with long hair. You see, it’s better to have shorter hair when working with the wind. Or at least have it pulled back.”

 

“Do you have a student?”

 

Yuuri nods. “Teaching wind spirits is quicker than most, so I’ve already gained my first student.”

 

“Do you have to do their hair?” Yurio grumbles.

 

“No. His hair is already short enough. But I still find it useful.” He’s almost done now; he’s gathering the hair together for one final tie.

 

“If you’re going to keep _showing up_ …” Yuuri pauses and Yurio’s voice softens, even if only slightly. “...could you…?”

 

Yuuri nods, realizes the younger spirit can’t see him, and then says: “Of course, Yurio.”

 

He knows he’s screwed up in the way the fire spirit tenses, and his hair begins to warm in Yuuri’s fingers.

 

“D-did I do something wrong?”

 

“I hate that name.” He spits, not really glaring at anything but the ground.  “It’s stupid.”

 

“Oh.” _At least he’s honest._ “I thought because Victor….” Yuuri shakes his head slightly. “Would you like me to call you something else?”

 

Yuri pauses, but Yuuri can feel him cooling and watches him unwind. He doesn’t answer, so Yuuri takes the time to finish off and place his hands in his lap.

 

“Yura.” He speaks finally, and looks back to Yuuri with a gaze that doesn’t show any falter.

 

And so, Yuuri nods. “Yura.”

* * *

 

Victor returns with Yakov and Georgi near sunset. He watches the orb in the sky, a slight breeze pushing the hair out of his face and robes pulled along. He holds back a yawn under Yakov’s careful eye, but doesn’t exactly meet the gaze. Rather, he acts as if he hadn’t seen it at all.

 

They’re nearing home again, and he can hear Mila’s laughter echo off, reaching to them. Conversation follows on its heels, the two young voices nowhere near as clear, but Victor’s smile still flickers into appearance at the distinguishability of the two.

 

“Hi Victor!” Mila notices him as soon as he appears over the ledge. The two Yuris look up from their conversation.

 

“Oh. Hello Victor.” Yuuri’s face lights up with his smile and Victor has to make certain he doesn’t lose his step and slide down the rocks to them.

 

He manages a careful step down to the three as Yuuri rises to meet him. Yuri watches him, but tries to appear more interested in his braids than the two.

 

“How was today?” Yuuri whispers in a way similar to a soft breeze on a calm day, and Victor feels his smile lift into a grin.

 

“Like usual, except you’re here. That makes everything better.”

 

He finds some satisfaction in the way Yuuri blushes, but doesn’t reply to his comment.

 

“Do you want to go on a walk?”

 

Yuuri nods wordlessly in response, and Victor takes lead. He grabs Yuuri’s hand and gently leads him along. Mila and Yuri’s stares follow, and he finds he doesn’t mind. However, when Yuuri joins him at his side, his blush is slowly reddening. Victor glances to their stares, and lets his grip slacken to pull away…

 

When Yuuri grabs it with a tight grip, lacing his fingers with Victor’s. Victor steals a glance, and though the blush is still present, Yuuri acts if he couldn’t feel the gazes. Victor doesn’t let go again, feeling his chest swell with a strange sort of pride.

 

“Where are you going?” Both turn back as Yakov watches from the ledge.

 

“Just for a walk.” _Even Yakov can’t make my happiness disappear. I won’t let him take another thing._

 

“Yakov merely crosses his arms. “Don’t be long.”

 

“Yes sir.” Of course, Yuuri is the one to reply; Victor never calls Yakov _sir_. The oldest spirit seems to accept it, though, and relaxes following a brief nod. And both decide not to wait around for the next voice’s call.

* * *

 

“I have a student now.”

 

“Really?” Victor looks away from the dog (which they claimed as their own companion) as it bounds ahead, to Yuuri.

 

“I mean to tell you sooner, but I forgot.” Yuuri’s face is in sharp focus at this proximity, but the wind spirit doesn’t notice as he watches their dog.

 

“What’s their name? Are they a wind spirit, too?”

 

“His name is Minami and yes, he is a wind spirit. Most spirits teach another of the same element...unless they’re uncommon.”

 

“Ah.” _So everyone on the mountain is ‘uncommon’?_

 

“T-that probably came out wrong_” He looks down and that blush returns as they stop_ “I’m sorry.”

 

“No need to apologize.” The squeeze of his hand causes Yuuri to meet Victor’s gaze. “I’m not upset by it.”

 

“O-oh.” He nods, looking away quickly, prompting Victor to do the same.

 

“What else about Minami?”

 

“He’s…” Yuuri searches forwards as they start walking again. “... _very excited_ to see me. He follows me around a lot.”

 

“Oh.” Is all Victor says curtly.

 

“He wants to meet you, too.”

 

“Me? Why me?”

 

Yuuri’s cheeks flush, but he doesn’t give an answer.

 

“Wait...were you talking about me?”

 

“W-well I mean..”

 

“ _Aww_.” Yuuri starts and turns to Victor’s heart-shaped smile. However, it settles into a smirk. “Am I that interesting?”

 

Yuuri sputters for an answer, and finds non. He forces himself to take a deep breath, and nods.

 

_Wait...really?_

 

Yuuri turns to him, not really seeing the shock on face. It’s still as if he read Victor's mind, though, when he says: “Yes, you are. I was also excited to see you again, to get to your ceremony on time. I think I did say..a lot…”

 

All Victor can do is blink at Yuuri. His chest feels tight.

 

“Minami wanted to see you, but I figured a warning would be nice. So...if you want…”

 

“I would like to.” His voice cracks a small squeak.

 

Yuuri’s brow furrows in concern, “Are you alright?”

 

“Fine.” Yuuri leads him to sit down regardless, and it’s a secret relief to be off his feet.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’m sure.” His chest is relaxing again, and he takes a fully breath.

 

“We should still probably head back.” Victor doesn’t argue, letting Yuuri help him to his feet. Yuuri seems to notice his recovered steadiness, and lets him walk, the only attachment to the winter spirit is by his cold hand. “You’re probably tired.”

 

“Yeah..” The dog bounds back to them, and Yuuri bends down to coo and pet before they start back to the human shelter, their companion’s _other_ caretakers. Luckily, the dog follows them back.

 

“What I was going to say was that I’d like to meet him. Miami, I mean.”

 

“Really?” Yuuri looks to him with those eyes, and _oh_ , Victor doesn’t know how much more of the wind spirit he can take before he completely _melts._

 

Still, he nods. “I mean it. We can make arrangements later.”

 

“Are you _sure_ you want to do that?”

 

Victor watches their companion return to the humans waiting at the door. When the door shuts, he looks down to their clasped hands and squeezes.

 

“Anything for you, Yuuri.”

* * *

 

The sun has long set by the time they return. Above their heads, spirits lay out the stars in their dance, and light on the top of the hill reaches out towards them. As they near, the light reveals its warmth and the creator sitting nearest to it. Yura looks up at the sound of their footsteps, and Victor stops suddenly. Yuuri, holding his hand, halts as well. “Victor?”

 

Victor simply shakes his head. “I’ll just...I’ll just go get some rest.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Yuuri doesn’t let go when Victor tugs; in fact, he grips even tighter. It’s a surprise, Yuuri has never been this forward. Yuuri looks up to him. “Something’s wrong.”

 

Victor merely glances to the flame. “It’s just…”

 

Yuuri glances to it, then back to Victor. He squeezes the winter spirit’s cold hand, and then pulls him along. Victor stumbles, but recovers quickly to keep up with the smaller spirit’s pace.

 

“Yuuri? What-?”

 

Yuuri doesn’t answer, but makes a wide berth around the fire. His feet push aside pebbles as he climbs up the slope. When he stops, he kicks aside some more before sitting down and Victor has no choice but to follow.

 

“See? We don’t have to sit close to the fire.” Yuuri says finally. “It’s not a problem at all.”

 

Victor doesn’t answer, staring at the flames. He can hear the crackle of the wood, even from this distance. Below, Mila turns back to look up at them…

 

“U-Unless you really were tired.” Victor blinks when Yuuri pulls his hand away, and looks over to see him wringing them together. Confidence is crumbling before VIctor’s own eyes.  “I-I’m sorry I should have realized...That was _really_ stupid of me-”

 

Yuuri stops sputtering when Victor reaches over, parting his wringing hands, and lacing their hands together. His wide eyes flick up to Victor, who searches him calmly.

 

“No, this is fine. Thank you, Yuuri.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Victor nods. “I’m sure. I didn’t think about this, but it’s...it’s nice.”

 

Yuuri looks down to their hands, and Victor barely hears him whisper. “I didn’t want you to feel alone.”

 

Victor acts if he hadn’t heard, and merely stares out to the flames. It’s a...new feeling. Everyone else had said they were giving him space, but this didn’t feel like an intrusion. Maybe he should start trying more often.

 

Yuuri’s grip slackens for a moment, and Victor looks up as Mila sits down next to them.  “Enjoying the view?”

 

“It’s a nice fire Yura made.” A glance from the redhead spells to Victor what he had guessed, but he makes no comment on it. Instead he turns to Yuuri.

 

“Yura?”

 

Yuuri blushes and a small smile plays on his face. Victor wishes he could etch the face in his mind. “Oh, I was talking to him while you were busy earlier, and I braided his hair.”

 

The mention of his absence reminds Victor of why, and his frowns deepens. “Ah.”

 

“We got to talking and he said he didn’t like being called Yurio. I asked what he liked, and so now I call him Yura.”

 

Victor forces himself to push the day’s events out of his mind and to refocus on the conversation. “He actually talked to you?”

 

“He did.” Georgi sits down next to Mila. “I heard all about it. I’m surprised little Yura didn’t bite his head off when Yuuri started braiding.”

 

“Shut it.” Yura throws in an offhand matter as he plops down next to Yuuri. The braid swings slightly at his rough landing, but he ignores it. “At least Yuuri is good at it, unlike you two boneheads.”

 

Georgi looks significantly scandalized as Victor laughs. Yuuri joins in with a softer giggle, reclasping their hands in a feel that was _so_ natural and so _right_.

 

_Did it always feel this way?_ Both wonder, but find no answer.

 

Yuuri isn’t sure how much time has passed when things finally begin to subside. Since Mila is in the middle, she is trying to hold up Georgi and Yura, both dozing off on her shoulders. She shakes Georgi awake, and helps Yura to his feet. Georgi stumbles back to his room as Mila leads Yura past the dying embers of the fire. Finally, they’re alone.

 

Victor seems nowhere near as tired as when they arrived. Company seems to have done him good, and now his eyes sparkle as he looks up to the stars. In fact, Victor doesn’t seem to notice Yuuri’s proximity until he’s laying into Victor’s shoulder. He pulls his gaze away from the stars to see Yuuri is still awake, but staring down at the dimming fire. Clouds dim the moon with their cover, lessening the gleam over the two. Yuuri’s hair drapes over his shoulders, seeming soft to the touch. Maybe…

 

“Could I…?” Yuuri blinks and looks to Victor at the fragment of a question. He seems to understand, because he nods and scoots closer. Victor leans back and Yuuri adjusts to where he is lying with his head on the larger spirit’s chest. He can hear Victor’s breathing, and relaxes when he feels the hand cautiously intertwine in his hair. Victor relaxes as well, and run his fingers through and through. When Yuuri shifts, Victor’s breath hitches, before quickly returning to normal, not even pausing  in the soothing pattern.

 

Victor looks up to the stars in their silence. After a moment, Yuuri does the same as he blinks away sleepiness. The lights still shine above as the fire dies. Finally, they are the two that are truly alone together. And though they are firmly on the ground, driftiing closer to sleep, their empty hands find each other and hold tight, and both find their happiness soaring above the clouds.


	10. Pulled to Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And yet there will always be forces that pull from the clouds and drag back to the ground. And they seek nothing but to destroy.

“How long until your student...you know..?”

  


“Transitions?”

  


“Is that the word for it?”

  


“I suppose.” Yuuri shrugs, looking down to their dog, who stays close to Victor’s leg and keeps pace. The trees are their canopy, hiding the sky in this part of the forest. “It’s not much longer now. He’s still has some things to learn, and he has to start becoming independent.”

  


“So...you can’t help much longer?” Yuuri shakes his head at that.

  


“No. I am supposed to watch and only intervene if...” He breaks off, and as  his face falls, Victor can feel the breeze pick up and disturb the leaves on the trees. Slight, but he knows it has to do with Yuuri’s sudden change in emotion. Finally, Yuuri sighs and the wind dies back down, but he still says nothing. He walks on, and Victor follows.

  


“In case of what?”

  


Yuuri shakes his head. “Nothing. I may bring him to visit any day now if that’s alright with you. I mean, you’ve been wanting to meet him for a while so of course I could bring him-”

  


“Yuuri.” Yuuri stops talking, and ceases walking as well. Victor steps in front of him. Their dog roams over to one of the trees nearby, but Victor turns his full attention to Yuuri, who is averting his gaze, “In case of what?”

  


Yuuri is beginning to wring his hands. “In case they’re not...not ready.”

  


“What do you mean? Did something happen?” Victor takes one of his hands and Yuuri looks up, but away from the winter spirit. The other hand finds his robes, wrapping around his fist before he grips tight.  

  


“When I was young...” His voice trembles, but then as quickly as he decided, he squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  


Perhaps Victor should back off. Yuuri’s hand that had been bunched in his robes has released and he now rubs at his eyes hurriedly. The tears continue, with Yuuri trying to fight them back with little avail. _I can stop these tears_ , Victor thinks. _I will._

  


He takes Yuuri’s other hand. Yuuri finally looks to him, but there is no sign of gratitude or at this point, free tears.

  


“Let go.”

  


“What happened, Yuuri?”

  


“I don’t want to talk about it.” Victor grips even tighter when Yuuri tries to pull away. “ _Let go_.”

  


“Not until you tell me.” _I can’t fix this without knowing what’s wrong._

  


“Well maybe I don’t want to talk about it!” The wind picks up again, harsher than before. A warning.

  


“Well maybe you should. It would help whatever…maybe it’s not as big as you think-”

  


“ _Not as big as I think?!”_

  


Victor had never before wished to take something back, but now as Yuuri yanks his hands away and he struggles to remain balanced against the beating wind, he wishes all his words could be retrieved and wiped from existence.

  


Yuuri remains balanced in the wind, which adds to the image that is his teary wrath. “You don’t even know what _happened,_ Victor! You don’t know what it means to be afraid, what with all your training and everything you do being on that mountain!”

  


Victor stumbles and falls to the snow, and Yuuri advances on him, robes catching in the wind and flying behind him. “A student was _killed_ in her final test! A-And you tell me the fear of having to watch my own student drown in the sea is _not as big as I think_?”

  


Victor can barely catch his breath, let alone give an answer to Yuuri. _Are you satisfied now?_

  


Perhaps that’s what Yuuri would have said. Except suddenly the wind dies, and Yuuri is standing straight again. With the wind no longer deafening him, he hears the crack of a tree...and the yelp of a dog.

  


Yuuri gasps, and Victor scrambles to his feet after the other spirit, who takes off into the forest. It couldn’t have been….it couldn’t have been. The mantra repeats itself in a silence between the two.

The fallen tree is not a hard find. Yuuri can see the roots that have been ripped from the ground. Just beyond it, more trees have fallen beneath the weight of the tree. But closest to them, underneath the large trunk-

  


“Victor!” He kneels next to their companion, calling back for the other spirit. “Victor _hurry_!”

_Oh no oh no!_ He did this!

  


Luckily, Victor isn’t as far behind as he thinks, and is by Yuuri’s side in moments. He gasps at the sight. “We…” His voice cracks and he clears his throat. “We need to get her out.”

  


“This tree is too heavy for both of us to lift.” Yuuri stands after a moment, with his eyes still on her. “I have an idea, but I’m going to need your help.”

  


Victor nods, and so Yuuri takes a deep breath before speaking. “When I push back the trunk with the wind, grab her as quick as you can. I won’t be able to push it back for long.”

  


“Okay.” His agreement is almost inaudible, but Yuuri still nods. Supposedly, summoning the wind he had in his anger should be easy, but he’s already shaking and panting for air. The combination of the power in his rage and how fast he had run to their dog exhausted him quicker than ever before.

  


_Breathe…._ He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The breeze brushes by his cheek, intensely growing in speed. Victor hunkers down close to the ground, pressing closer with each passing second. Yuuri’s hands are beginning to clench, his features hardening.

  


Something creaks behind Victor, and his head snaps around to see the trunk roll back. As soon as it clears her legs, Victor is by her side. Her eyes are shut and don’t open to Victor’s gentle strokes by their ears.

  


“No…” _She can’t be-_

  


“Victor!”

  


He blinks back tears at his name. _Yuuri!_

  


“HURRY!” He screams from where he’s standing. He’s beginning to sweat and shake visibly.

Victor examines the unconscious creature again, and takes a deep breath. With shaking hands, he pushes into the snow underneath her, fingers curling into her still soft fur before scooping her up. She doesn’t stir, but Victor holds his breath as he moves to a crouch, before springing up to his feet. He readjusts his hold to where he’s holding her close to his chest, protecting her from any further harm, before taking off.

  


“Come on Yuuri!”  The wind settles once more, and he hears the wind spirit panting behind him, but never falling behind.

  


* * *

 

The sun hasn’t even set yet, but the lights are on inside the human shelter. Victor slows to a stop, and checks on their companion. She hasn’t stirred the entire trip; is she even breathing?

  


_Oh I hope so._ Yet he doesn’t check.

  


Yuuri catches up with him, slowing to a stop at the sight of the door. “How..” He asked through heaving gasps. ”How are we doing this?”

  


“You knock. I’ll set her down but we need to be quick if we want to save her.”

  


Yuuri nods, and hurries forward. Victor can hear the attempt at a steadying breath before his knock echoes on the wood. Victor rushes forward, but kneels slowly. “Are they coming to the door?”

  


“I don’t think so…” Yuuri peeks through the window. “No!”

  


“Knock again!”

  


Yuuri obeys, this time beating down the wood. He reaches down and shakes the knob, but everything remains silent inside. Victor stays still, staring up as Yuuri grunts and pushes away from the doorway, running a hand through his hair. When the other spirit disappears from his sight, he mutely looks back down. She still sleeps on...or at least he hopes she is sleeping. There is still snow on her muzzle from where she must have been nosing through. He runs a hand through the curls of his friend’s fur, near her ear (her favorite spot). If she was awake right now, perhaps she would lick his hand to commend the affectionate action.

  


But if she were awake right now, they also wouldn’t be in this situation. Pressure builds around his eyes, and he sniffs, rubbing his face on his sleeve. He shouldn’t have been so careless...

  


_Whoosh_!

  


Victor glances up just in time to see the rock bounce off the window. He turns to the source to see Yuuri stretch out his arm, before picking out another rock from the pile at his feet.

  


“Yuuri what are you doing?”

  


_Whoosh!_

  


The rock bounces off again and instantly Yuuri bends down to pick up another rock when the knob clicks. Yuuri freezes, and Victor turns back as the door opens. A man stands above him, searching the snow beyond the doorstep. Yuuri gasps somewhere behind Victor, who merely watches as the man’s expression never changes. That is, until he finally looks down.

  


The call makes Victor jump, but it succeeds in bringing a woman to the door, who gasps at the sight.

  


“Hurry, she’s hurt!” Victor cries, not caring that his tears are returning and this time winning against his restraint. “Please! Save her!”

  


The man kneels down without any hesitation, and Victor sighs. “Thank you. Please tell me she’ll be alright-”

  


When the man leans over her, Victor’s breath is stolen from him. Yuuri gapes as Victor goes transparent, the man’s head through his chest. The place burns and he cries out even at the smallest movement. He reaches for the man’s shoulders, only for his hands to fall through. _It burns!_

  


When the man finally stands, Victor falls back first into the snow with a gasp. The door slams shut, and instantly Yuuri runs to him. His hands search his chest for some hole or flaw but find none. _That shouldn’t have been possible. How was that possible?_

  


“Victor.” Yuuri is standing above him, and suddenly being pulled to his feet. He stumbles as Yuuri leads him to the bushes. Yuuri glances back but Victor can’t bring himself to. _That shouldn’t have been possible…_

“Are you alright?” Yuuri asks the moment he’s forced to sit down among the bushes. Yuuri’s hands feel so _real_ but how could his form give way like that? “Victor?”

  


When he doesn’t answer, he sighs and peeks back over the bushes before ducking back down. He’s still breathing hard and keeps glancing to either side of them. “We need to go.”

  


“No.” Victor’s surprised at his own utterance, but doesn’t look up from the spot in the snow he stares into.

  


“Victor-”

  


“I’m not leaving.”

  


Yuuri sighs again, and slowly gets to his feet, still gently setting his hands on Victor’s shoulders. “I’m going to get help.” He squeezes his shoulder, and then a hesitance as Yuuri looks away. His voice is softer, shakier. “...Be safe.”

  


And like that he’s gone. Victor still doesn’t budge from his spot. In fact, the only movement is the breeze through the trees and when he raises his head to look over the bushes to the flickering lights through the window.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was...a lot! Thank you guys for reading this! Don't be afraid to let me know what you think in the comments! Or you can vent at [my Tumblr](https://yuuriiikatsukii.tumblr.com/)! 
> 
> I'll get the next chapter up ASAP!


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